Did you happen to catch The Simpsons last night? If you did, you know that industry legend Neil Gaiman was prominently featured. COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ SPINOFF ONLINE interviewed Gaiman about his experiences working on the episode. When asked about what it was like receiving the script, Gaiman said, “I started to read it and discovered that I was in it all the way through and I was actually having to act and that stuff happens! It was enormously fun and kind of weird and kind of wonderful.” As for awards recognition for his appearance on the show? “I think if they ever hand out Oscars for Best Person Playing Neil Gaiman, I have a shot!” Gaiman joked.

And while you’re at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, read their interview with MISTER TERRIFIC writer Eric Wallace. “The Kryl will definitely challenge Mister Terrific on a physical level,” Wallace revealed of the series’ newest villains. “They are a very brutal warrior race, bent on ruling the Ninth Dimension. However, they are not above using psychological methods to learn pertinent details about their opponents. Which is bad for Mister Terrific, because he is definitely their most formidable opponent yet!”

Last week saw the release of WONDER WOMAN #3, which included a new and much-discussed origin story for the Amazon princess. The conversation continues with NEWSARAMA, who interviewed the creative team behind the book about what this new origin means for Diana. “The whole reason for all this stuff is story, and adding this stuff to the origin gives us a huge family of hers to play with. She has responsibilities. This is blood we're talking about now. And it gives her a supporting cast that's tied so closely with her that it provides lots of story for us. And I think that's the most important thing,” said artist Cliff Chiang. “It brings the stakes home," writer Brian Azzarello agreed. "She's got a family now, you know? She's got a dysfunctional family now ... and how she deals with that family is what we're going to be dealing with for the next year."

To be continued …

(DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio catches up with his old friend, Solomon Grundy at New York Comic Con)

Everyone from Solomon Grundy to DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio was at New York Comic Con this past weekend. In case you’ve been unplugged from the Internet all day, there are ton of recaps from the convention.

MTV GEEK chatted with the rock star creative team of JUSTICE LEAGUE, Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. “It’s really about how you tell the stories,” said Lee of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. “It’s interesting – there was a lot of skepticism going into September but then once the books came out, the whole nature of the dialogue changed from ‘I hate what you’re changing’ to ‘I love what you’ve changed. I love the new directions.’”

“I think we’ve turned a lot of the skeptics around,” continued Johns. “I think there’s a lot of people that have turned around and said, ‘wow, this is really exciting,’ and are on board.”

DAILYMOTION spoke with DC Entertainment Co-Publisher writer Dan DiDio on the NYCC floor. “What I love about what we’re doing right now is that it’s not just about superheroes,” DiDio said of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. “We’ve got Westerns, we’ve got science fiction, we’ve got horror – so we’ve got such a wide array and I think that shows diversity and the strength of DC and I think this is what makes the company great.”

KOTAKU reported on the statues on display in the DC Entertainment booth at New York Comic Con. Check out their coverage to see your favorite heroes and villains as well as MAD Magazine’s take on some of the most iconic DC characters.

Following New York Comic Con, lots of outlets ran their exclusive previews of the DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 titles being released this Wednesday. Here’s a rundown:

USA TODAY ran their exclusive preview of BIRDS OF PREY #2. "Yes, she's been a bad guy, but every villain has a great motivation,” said series writer Duane Swierczynski when asked about Poison Ivy. “They see themselves as the good guy in their own stories, and she's doing what she's doing for a good reason. It may sound strange but you can be there for your friends and still be a not-so-great person."

MAXIM has your first sneak peek at WONDER WOMAN #2. “Already one of the best-reviewed books of the new 52, Azzarello's take on Wonder Woman is doing, er, wonders for the character,” MAXIM wrote in the introduction of their exclusive preview. “Showcasing her bad-ass warrior side as well as a sense of humor … Azzarello is also rebuilding the mythology of Wonder Woman, simplifying it and making it more accessible to new readers while explaining her powers and attitude.”

TV GUIDE MAGAZINE debuted the first five pages of SUPERGIRL #2. "She has the same core basics: flight, strength, invulnerability, heat vision, x-ray vision," series co-writer Mike Johnson told TV GUIDE MAGAZINE of Kara. "And then we're going to reveal a new power in issue 3 that is unique to her and also a result of her new origin story."

BLASTR previewed not just one but two titles with a science fiction flavor coming out this week! Head on over to their site for your first look at BLUE BEETLE #2 and CAPTAIN ATOM #2.

POPMATTERS has your first look at RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #2 and COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has an exclusive preview of CATWOMAN #2.

And be sure to head on over to DC Comics’ official Facebook page to read an exclusive preview of LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2--and scroll through our photo galleries from each day of New York Comic Con.

Got more time to surf the web? Check out THE LOS ANGELES EXAMINER's, er, terrific review of MISTER TERRIFIC #2, written by L.A. local Eric Wallace and illustrated by Gianluca Gugliotta. “Wallace keeps the action coming and provides new and inventive ways for the hero to travel and solve the mysteries of Brainstorm,” wrote THE EXAMINER. “Gugliotta’s art also keeps to the tone of the story. This is pulse pounding adventure with a scientific background.”

To be continued …

(DC Entertainment Co-Publisher and JUSTICE LEAGUE artist Jim Lee signing at the DC Entertainment booth at New York Comic Con)

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 …

Over the course of the week, we’ll be posting interviews with some writers and artists working on DC Comics-The New 52. You’ll get some teases and insights into who these creative teams are and learn about their thoughts on creating comic books and graphic novels.

Up first is MISTER TERRIFIC writer Eric Wallace.

THE SOURCE: How do you write the first line of a new series?

ERIC WALLACE: I like the first line of dialogue out of a new hero’s mouth to sum up their world in a sentence. That first line should tell us about where a character is and what they’re doing, not just who they are. And that’s the tricky part – finding one opening sentence that can service a lot of masters. It’s tricky. Sometimes I find myself agonizing over an opening sentence for days. However, it was quite the opposite on MISTER TERRIFIC. His first line just popped up and worked. And despite rewriting the script a few times, that first sentenced never changed.

How do you introduce a new hero?

With MISTER TERRIFIC, I’m taking the approach that this will be a whole new audience for the character, that most people won’t have encountered him before. Therefore, everything you need to know about Michael Holt and his world gets introduced in the first three issues, and most of it in issue #1. That includes his origins, which have changed slightly from his appearances in the pre-FLASHPOINT DCU.

Beyond that, I don’t think you have to introduce every single aspect of a hero or character’s personality initially. What I believe is more important is that you showcase the character’s potential, that you show that he or she is more than the sum of the parts presented. That the world she or he inhabits is interesting and exciting enough to warrant a long-term series of stories.

How do you introduce characters?

I think it’s best to introduce a character while they’re in the middle of some action or task, preferably one that clearly defines them. If it’s a hero, then show them doing something heroic. And don’t start in the beginning of a scene. Start in the middle of the action, when the pressure is really on for the hero. This way, you’ll really get to see what kind of person the hero is. That’s how Michael Holt gets introduced in MISTER TERRIFIC #1. He’s dodging high-tech lasers, trying not to get killed.

How do you draw a first appearance?

I leave a decision like that up to a brilliant artist like Gianluca.

How do you introduce a new villain?

I think it’s important to give a villain an air of menace before they ever appear. Readers will see in MISTER TERRIFIC #1 what the new villain Brainstorm is capable of. But the villain himself doesn’t appear until issue #2. So by the time you meet Brainstorm, you’re already aware of what he can do and how dangerous his abilities might be. That helps create added tension for the reading audience when the hero—in this case, Mister Terrific—finally meets his new adversary.

What was the first comic you ever worked on?

My first comic work was an eight-page Vixen story for the DC HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2008. As a parent, I wanted to tell a story that would empower young African-American females. So that first Vixen story ends with her telling a young Black girl about the possibilities of the world, and that it’s now possible for a diverse young lady like her to grow up and become anything she wants to be.

What was the first series you collected?

Although I had issues of many other series, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was the first book I collected in an obsessive and fanatical nature. UNCANNY X-MEN and SWAMP THING were a close second and third.

Who was the first writer you followed?

Alan Moore. No question about it. I followed him from SWAMP THING to a host of other great works like WATCHMEN, FROM HELL, and LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, and continue to follow his work today.

Who was the first artist you followed?

Growing up, I would pick up anything drawn by John Byrne. I remember reading his run on X-MEN and FANTASTIC FOUR. Those runs were seminal. So when he jumped to DC for THE MAN OF STEEL and SUPERMAN, I followed. His work with Clark Kent and company still resonates with me to this day.

What was the first convention you attended as a fan?

My first genre fan event was a DOCTOR WHO convention in 1984, where I got to meet Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor. Talk about mind-blowing! But ironically, even though I was reading comics at that time, I didn’t attend an official comic book convention until the early 90s. It was probably the monthly Sci-Fi & Comic Conventions that happen here in Los Angeles. They used to hold them at the Shrine Auditorium, which is the same place they used to hold Oscar ceremonies decades earlier.

What was the first convention you attended as a professional?

The San Diego Comic Convention. I first attended SDCC in the mid-to-late 90’s and have been every year since. But it was really weird to attend it for the first time as a professional, which was only about five years ago.

What was the first comic book you read?

RICHIE RICH was my very first comic book memory at age four or five. From there I graduated to ARCHIE and then a lot of the Gold Key books like TUROK, SON OF STONE and DARK SHADOWS.

What was your first job in the comic book industry?

My first job was “comic book reader.” That might sound silly, but I don’t mean to be flippant or sarcastic. I honestly think the best way to become a comic book writer—or writer of any sort—is to read. Read as much as you can. When it comes to comic books, my job was to read and absorb a ton of quality comic book storytelling so that I could learn the rules, language, and conventions of the medium. Which, of course, makes it easier to break them later on.

What was the first piece of original art you bought?

Honestly, I haven’t bought any yet. Unless you’re counting that KISS poster I spent a month’s allowance on in the fifth grade.

What was the first digital comic book you downloaded?

I believe it was THE AUTHORITY #1. That series was so great. The first issue is a perfect example of how to set up a series and accomplish everything you need to hook an audience in a debut story.