Got some amazingly exciting news to launch this week off with.  Yeah, I count Wednesday as the beginning of the week as it’s New Comic Book Day!  (It’s the same way the New Comics Year ends and starts again with every San Diego Comic Con in July).  So every Wednesday, I actually am now in the habit of checking for both new print and digital releases and sure enough, we’ve got some downloadable gems this week.  In fact, we’re rolling out Frank Miller’s seminal work , The Dark Knight Returns. This is the book that brought me back into comics when I was in college and truly inspired me to become a comic book illustrator and is a must have for every Comics Cognoscenti.

What makes it even more special is that we are offering it up through our very own DC Digital Comics Store!

Yep, you heard that right.  We’re thrilled today to announce the opening of our brand new DC Comics storefront.  What does the latest development to our ongoing Digital Publishing Initiative mean for you, the ever-devout DC Comics fan?  Well, for one--it’s going to allow you all the ability to purchase and download comics from your desktop and laptop computers from our very own website.  And because we want to make the purchasing, storage and management of your comics digital library as easy and convenient as possible, we’ve made sure that our storefront is powered by comiXology which means if you buy a DC digital comic like the chart-busting Death of Superman on your Mac or PC at home, you can read the very same series on-the-go using your iPhone, iPad or laptop using our DC App without paying any a penny more or creating any new logins.  Or vice versa.

We call it convergence.  You will find it simply easy.

And you know what? Given the proliferation of digital comics apps, mobile devices and platforms, I know as a consumer of digital comics that I appreciate that kind of convenience.  And as a Co-Publisher who finds time to catch up on his comics reading while on-the-go, I love the fact that I can carry around not just the latest digital issue of The Authority, one of my favorite all time comics, but my entire DC digital collection on any one of the devices I schlep with me to the far corners of the earth.  And we’ve made many of the first issues of these great series free in commemoration of today’s news.

So check out what’s available for download this week--we run the gamut from Vertigo’s ground-breaking Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson to Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles to the DCU’s outstanding Identity Crisis series by novelist Brad Meltzer and artist Rags Morales.  It really is an embarrassment of riches and honestly, we have many, many internal discussions about what we should be rolling out next...should it be material from our classic archives or more recent tales of our iconic characters or the works of DC’s greatest creators? In cases such as writer Brian Azzarello who’s best known for his riveting Vertigo opus 100 Bullets but also for his poignant take on the Man of Steel in Superman: For Tomorrow, we couldn’t choose between the two and ran with both to celebrate the launching of our new storefront.  But please, sound off on our Facebook page and be heard—at the end of the day, we really do strive to make the DC Digital Offerings reflect not just the very best works of DC Comics but what YOU, the reader, wants out of very your own DC Digital Comics Experience!

As promised last month, this week's your chance to win a signed copy of THE FLASH #1, featuring the stellar work of writer Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. What do you need to do? Well, it's simple, really.

Starting today and until Friday, DC NATION's Twitter account will be asking one Flash-related question a day. The first five fans who answer the question correctly will be eligible to win a signed copy of one of DC’s biggest new launches of 2010. Think you’re an expert in all things Flash? Well, get ready to have your Scarlet Speedster knowledge tested, pal. Not only will I be bringing my years of Flash fandom to the task at hand, but I’ve enlisted the writer of THE FLASH himself, Mr. Geoff Johns to help me in crafting questions that will will be far from simple.

And, as an added bonus, the first winner on Friday will not only get a signed copy of THE FLASH #1, but a signed copy of THE SCRIPT to #1, courtesy of Mr. Johns himself. And if you're at all familiar with Geoff, you know getting your hands on one of his scripts is pretty, pretty difficult.

Don't have a Twitter account? Signing up is easy. Once that’s done, take a moment to start following DC NATION, THE FLASH writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul.

So, click below for the rules. See you there!

THE FLASH #1 Signed Copy Twitter Contest Official Rules

1. ENTRY: No purchase necessary to enter or win. To enter the contest, you must be among the first 5 people to tweet to @DC_NATION the correct answer to the question posted via the DC NATION Twitter feed to @DC_NATION that day. DC COMICS will release a question every day from 4/12-4/16. You may participate in as many of the daily questions as you wish and respond as often as you like.

2. ELIGIBILITY: Employees and contractors (and their families) of DC COMICS or any of its affiliates are not eligible. Must be 13 year of age or older and a resident of the United States or Canada. Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law.

3. PRIZE: 25 prizes (one per winner) will be given out. Prizes will consist of a copy of THE FLASH #1 signed by writer Geoff Johns and/or artist Francis Manapul. Prize selection is at the discretion of the DC COMICS team.

4. WINNER SELECTION: The first 5 people to answer the question posted on the DC NATION Twitter feed and tweet the answer to @DC_NATION will win one of that day's 5 signed copies of THE FLASH #1.

5. WINNER NOTIFICATION: Each day’s winners will be notified directly via direct message on Twitter. The winners are required to contact DC Comics via email (the address will be sent via direct message) to provide contact information (full name, email address and mailing address). Each winner has until midnight EST the following business day to claim his/her prize; if the prize goes unclaimed, an alternate winner will be selected.

6. GENERAL CONDITIONS: The winners may be required to execute and return a Certificate of Eligibility, Consent and General Release form within 14 days of notification. Non-compliance within this time period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. By acceptance of the prize, the winners consent to the use of his or her name and/or likeness for purposes of advertising or trade without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.

7. USE OF CONTEST INFORMATION: All entries become the property of DC COMICS. DC COMICS reserves the right to use any and all information related to the contest, including submissions provided by the contestants, for editorial, marketing and any other purpose, unless prohibited by law.

8. CONDUCT: All contest participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules. DC COMICS in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person it finds to be in violation of these rules.

9. LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: DC COMICS is not responsible for late, lost or misdirected email or for any computer, online, telephone or technical malfunctions that may occur. If for any reason, the contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention or technical failures of any sort, DC COMICS may cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. Entrants further agree to release DC COMICS from any liability resulting from, or related to participation in the contest.

It's been a Batman kind-of-day, and will continue to be, as we've got a major art debut later today.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall well? We've got a major art debut to show right now.

Some of you savvy Twitter-folk may have noticed Assistant Editor Chris Conroy discussing what a great Batman FIRST WAVE pencil piece artist Rags Morales had just sent him during the first-ever #DCreader Twitter event, which allowed fans to read FIRST WAVE #1 along with Jim Lee and Geoff Johns. Well, we did the predictable and begged him to let us show it here on The Source.

And here we are.

In case you missed our initial announcement and friendly reminder yesterday, today's your chance to talk comics with two of the biggest names in the industry: Jim Lee and Geoff Johns. Where? Twitter, of course.

So head out to the comic shop and pick up your copy of FIRST WAVE #1 and start following Geoff, Jim and DC NATION. If you don't have a Twitter account, signing up is easy, so no worries. The rest is even easier: have fun, talk comics and enjoy the first issue of an excellent new mini-series spotlighting some of the most iconic characters -- like Batman, Doc Savage and the Spirit -- brought to life in a whole new light. The fun starts today at 3pm PST.

And if you can’t make it right on time, click on the hashtag “#DCreader” to catch up on the discussion!

See you there!