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Post by Shiryu on Feb 20, 2009 17:21:00 GMT -5
As Dlw's and others have suggested, to decrease the workload on the servers and avoid burying old topics too quickly, we should compress all the web reviews (IGN, Newsarama etc) in a single topic in each section. So from now on, we should post all the ones about DC comics here only, ok?
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Post by goldenfist on Feb 26, 2009 10:28:28 GMT -5
Here's a review of Wonder Woman #29 from Ign.com
In case you're just tuning in, Wonder Woman is in the midst of her own personal crisis of sorts in the pages of her ongoing series. It's called "Rise of the Olympian," and it includes a Ninja Turtle-looking monster named Genocide, the return of the Olympian Gods, Jason (of the Argonauts), Euphemus, and a plot by the villains Cheetah and Dr. Pyscho. Also, it's the single direst threat that Diana has ever come up against.
What makes this story the single direst threat that Diana has ever come up against, you ask? Well little, actually, other than the fact that writer Gail Simone takes every opportunity to tell us as much through Wonder Woman's internal monologue. Rarely does a page go by where Diana isn't pondering just how nasty and monstrous Genocide is, how the loss of her lasso will surely mean disaster, or how nothing will ever be the same again. Forget the fact that we're rarely convinced of these things by what's occurring on the page. What's important is that Diana thinks it, so it must be true.
All sarcasm aside, "Rise of the Olympians" is turning into an exceedingly frustrating read because the aforementioned moments of heavy-handedness on Simone's part are interrupted by brief sequences that genuinely convince us this is a story for the ages. It's as if Simone's desire to make this story seem epic precluded her considerable abilities to craft exciting superhero adventures. Chief among this arc's problems is the overuse of the Genocide character in the story's early installments. By wasting so much time showing this ridiculously designed Doomsday knock-off kick around the Justice League and tear apart a shopping mall, Simone neglected to spend enough time building up her other important story threads, mainly the one involving the return of the Olympian Gods. This issue sees Zeus step into a more prominent role than in previous issues, but his drastic actions didn't carry as much weight as they should mostly because I had a tough time remembering why they mattered. I just kept waiting for that Ninja Turtle gal to reappear and start breaking stuff.
As you can probably tell, a lot of my problems with the way this story is unfolding concern pacing. There's an odd, and ultimately ineffective, rhythm to the way Simone is jumping from story beat to story beat and plot to plot, and as a result the only thread that sticks in my mind is the least enjoyable one – that of Diana's stolen lasso and the big annoying oaf who spent the better part of three issues grunting and punching. That I thought this character dominated an issue in which she didn't appear, and that also included the return of a long missing supporting character and the death of a God, should tell you a lot about this story. That I still am not quite sure how this title pertains to this story should tell you more.
Finally, there's also an Origins and Omens back-up. No, it's not that bad, mostly because it focuses on the always entertaining Nemesis/Hippolyta relationship. And yes, I still think these backups are worthless and do more harm than good.
Review Score: 6.9 Passable
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Post by goldenfist on Feb 26, 2009 10:33:33 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 3, 2009 13:06:14 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 23, 2009 8:18:10 GMT -5
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #3 Cover Written by Geoff Johns Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver At last, the answer to the question that’s plagued DC fans for decades: Who’s faster, Superman or The Flash? Call your bookie and bet the farm, because you’ve never seen a run like this – and if speedsters keep dying at the pace they’re going, you might never see another one again! Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). i.livescience.com/images/flsreb_cv3-02.jpg(Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Barry beat Superman in a race years ago) JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #34 Cover Written by Len Wein Art by Jose Luis & JP Mayer Cover by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter The cards are against the remnants of the Justice League! And those cards are the Royal Flush Gang! Can even Superman and Wonder Woman save a team whose luck has run out? Featuring the deadly return of an old foe in part 1 of a 2-part story. i.livescience.com/images/jla_cv34-02.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Apr 3, 2009 9:30:01 GMT -5
Geoff Johns Discusses Flash: Rebirth
IGN Comics: My first question is probably one you've heard often leading up to Flash: Rebirth, because I think it's one that a lot of fans my age are wondering. I'm twenty-five, so the over-whelming majority of Flash comics I've read had Wally West in the costume.
Geoff Johns: Me too, by the way.
IGN Comics: Right. Which is why I'm so curious about your decision to be involved in Barry's return. In the lead-up to Green Lantern: Rebirth, readers still had plenty of exposure to Hal Jordan because of his role as the Spectre. That hasn't really been the case with Barry, though, whose appearances have been few and far between since his death in the original Crisis. Knowing so many fans will be unfamiliar with Barry, how are you planning on introducing him to a whole new generation?
Johns: Well the whole idea is to introduce Barry Allen to everybody, period. I think even people who know Barry Allen will find things in issue #1 that they've never seen before. We've never really visited Barry Allen's past before he got hit by the bolt of lightning. And so some of what Rebirth is going to do is delve back into the past and reveal some things about it that previously weren't there.
IGN Comics: You're speaking specifically of the whole tragedy involving his father and mother?
Johns: Yes.
IGN Comics: That's interesting, because as far as I know, the character never really had any tragedy in his life up until the big Professor Zoom story right before Crisis. Why did you think it was important to bring some tragedy into his back-story?
Johns: What we'll find out is we'll see what drove him to adopt such a strong sense of justice. I really want to explore what drove Barry Allen to adopt his uncanny sense of wrong and right. You're not just born with that. Barry Allen strove for that and was somewhat obsessed with it. Also, it's about why he got into forensics. What led him to that area of work? Why not become a cop or a prosecutor? Why forensics? That's something I really wanted to explore – what drove Barry Allen to this life that he chose? What made him Barry Allen before he was hit by the bolt of lightning?
IGN Comics: For those who never really went back and read all the comics of the Barry Allen Flash era, can you explain what you believe makes him so different than Jay, Wally and Bart?
Johns: Jay Garrick for me is kind of like the father figure. He's everybody's dad in JSA, and I've always played him as a father figure that you could talk to. He's the guy who is really supportive and would reach out and help you. Wally West is the sidekick made good. He's grown up and now has his own family. He's kind of come full circle from a kid to now raising kids himself – and kids that he can't necessarily relate to. With Bart it was one thing, because he was this kid who was a little bit unwieldy but still had super speed. So on one hand Wally could relate to Bart and could see this impulsive kid and what made him this way, and what super speed could do to you when you're young.
But now Wally has these two kids who, although they derive their powers from the speed force, their powers are completely bizarre. One can turn intangible and the other can tap into this weird super strength. And for him, he just doesn't know how to deal with that. He struggles with it. So I see Wally as this father figure who is in over his head. And then you've got Barry who is coming back, and I think his attitude is completely different than anybody would think it was. Because he comes back to find out that he's looked upon as a saint, as if he was perfect. He saved the universe and became St. Allen. And that's a little bit jarring to him.
IGN Comics: From the scene we see with Barry and Hal, it seems like Barry feels a distance or disconnect with the world. His time in the speed force seems to have detached him from humanity to a certain extent. There's almost this Captain America-like "man out of time" element to your take on him here.
Johns: There is, because so much time has passed for him. Unlike Hal Jordan's time away, where the Green Lantern Corps was devastated and the whole Green Lantern universe got sort of messed up, the Flash universe moved on and even flourished. They paid respect to Barry, but also grew past him. Wally became the Flash, Bart became Kid Flash and there were a bunch of new speedsters out there. Barry has come back to kind of check everything out and is wondering what he's there for. Why does he need to be there? Though his legacy was strong, now he's feeling detached from everything. He doesn't' really know where to run next. All he knows is that he feels the clock ticking for some reason in the back of his head. In his mind, he's just going to help as many people as he possibly can. That's his focus right now.
IGN Comics: Obviously Green Lantern: Rebirth immediately brought up a whole debate between the Kyle Rayner fans and the Hal Jordan fans, and I assume Flash: Rebirth will bring about the same sort of argument between Wally and Barry fans, with Wally fans worrying that he'll be pushed to the side.
The nature of the Green Lantern property allows for multiple heroes to occupy the mantel at the same time, which allowed you to keep Kyle front and center. With the Flash concept, however, I imagine it will take a little more creative maneuvering to allow Barry and Wally to both share the spotlight. Did you struggle at all to give both characters equally important roles?
Johns: Well you kind of have to look at what the Flash Universe is. Obviously not everything has been revealed to the reader yet. You're asking me to answer a question that was answered at the very end of Green Lantern: Rebirth, and I can't really comment on that this soon.
IGN Comics: Fair enough. To a certain extent, it almost seems like you're using Bart Allen as a mouthpiece for the Wally fans who object to Barry coming back and assuming the mantel.
Johns: Bart has an attitude that I think he has every right to have. And he'll expand on that as we move forward. But to Bart, he's finally gotten back as Kid Flash, and to him, he's wondering what happens now that Barry Allen is back. For Bart it feels wrong. There's something that's bothering him about Barry's return and he's not sure what it is.
IGN Comics: Bart's role in the series will most likely present a certain amount of awkwardness for readers. We saw him return in Legion of Three Worlds #3, but everyone is going to be wondering how he got back to the present in his younger form.
Johns: You're going to see him get back to the present day after Legion of Three Worlds. It's not like it's a big secret. After Legion of Three Worlds he's back in our time.
IGN Comics: So fans just need to be patient and they'll find everything out?
Johns: You don't even have to be patient. Just know that at the end of Legion of Three Worlds he's back here. He even says in this issue that he came back from the future. The reason I wanted to bring him back from the 31st Century was because it harkens back to where he came from in the first place. He was born in the future, and if he was going to come back and be Kid Flash again, I wanted it to reference back to where he came from in the first place. Just as when he came back here as Impulse, he's coming back as Kid Flash.
IGN Comics: We see that he's reverted to his younger form, but what can you say about his mental state? Does he retain the memories from his time as the Flash?
Johns: He certainly retains the memories, but by all accounts, all the adult part of him is gone. The adult part of him was just like when he grew in spurts as Impulse, and all that adult part of him is gone. But the idea is I just want to get back to Bart Allen as Kid Flash. I think that's the character I want to reestablish firmly in the Flash universe.
IGN Comics: I've talked to you before about how you often use continuity as a tool rather than a hindrance, and you've explained how it all sort of comes naturally because it's all constantly kicking around in your head.
With Green Lantern: Rebirth, you did a decent amount of "house keeping" in terms of making past stories jibe together and work in service towards the greater epic you planned to tell. With the Flash Universe, the mythology is so tied into time travel that I imagine that sort of thing, making sense of it all, would be a lot more difficult to accomplish this time around. Was it tough to get everything squared away in the planning stages of this project?
Johns: No. It was a lot different because Barry Allen returning is a pretty clean return as far as where he came from. He came out of the speed force. Whereas with Hal you had his death and the Spectre and all this craziness. We'll get into how Barry came back and why Barry came back throughout Rebirth. But it absolutely fits in pretty clean, and I think you'll see how it all ties in. It's pretty tight. Like Green Lantern: Rebirth, this will tie in a lot of stuff that's happened over the years into one story.
The idea is to kind of take everything that's come before and push it forward into a new direction. Just like with Green Lantern, where everything came together. You're supposed to have a hundred questions after reading Flash: Rebirth #1, and as we move forward those questions will be answered.
IGN Comics: Just one thing that I'd like to clarify: Marv Wolfman has famously stated that he left a loophole in Crisis on Infinite Earths where Barry could be yanked out of his death run in a way that would allow him to come back and live out his life knowing he had to eventually return to sacrifice himself. It seems like you and Grant went a completely different direction with the way you brought him back in DC Universe Zero and Final Crisis. Is that correct?
Johns: Yeah. It's totally different.
IGN Comics: Alright. So let's hit on the issue's opening scene. Obviously it's supposed to carry with it a certain amount of mystery, but the character's claim that he brought Barry back from the dead brings up a ton of questions. Can you say anything about what's going on in that opening?
Johns: No. [laughs]
IGN Comics: Is this a character that fans know?
Johns: I can't say anything about the opening. Sit tight.
IGN Comics: Okay, moving on. In addition to the opening murder scene, the second thread running through the issue is the idea that Barry's return has clearly had some serious ramifications on the speed force. We see it with the Black Flash's death as well as the result of Barry touching Savitar. Is that question of what Barry's return means for the speed force something that will play throughout the entire miniseries?
Johns: I'll just say this: the character in the opening scene says, "I brought you back, Barry, and it's the worst thing I could do to you." That sums up the entire miniseries as far as the mystery and what's going to happen. This will be expanded upon in the miniseries, but the idea is that Barry is back and it's not a good thing for everybody else.
IGN Comics: How about the ramifications of the Black Flash's death specifically? What does that mean for the rest of the speedsters?
Johns: More on that next issue.
IGN Comics: In Final Crisis, Wally states that he dealt with the Black Racer before in the form of the Black Flash. Are you working off that same premise – that both characters are iterations of the same force?
Johns: You'll see more about that in issue #2.
IGN Comics: How about the Rogues. Last time we saw them in Rogues Revenge, they were coming to terms with the realization that whatever rules they might have been playing by with Wally have been thrown out the window by Barry's return.
Johns: Mirror Master's line in this issue sums it up pretty well.
IGN Comics: "We're gonna need more Rogues." That reminded me of "we're gonna need a bigger boat."
Johns: Yeah that's the idea.
IGN Comics: Though fans weren't necessarily aware of it at the time, Green Lantern: Rebirth began what would become a trilogy of stories. Are there similar long term plans for Flash: Rebirth?
Johns: I think you can already start to see seeds of stuff in the first issue if you look closely. There are definitely long-term plans for this book and for the Flash Universe. You will see it unfold – that's all I can say.
IGN Comics: That brings up a question about your work in general. You seem to plan things with an eye towards the future – even more so than most.
Johns: I'm a long-term planner because I like to plan where the characters and the universes are going to go. I like to work on a bigger canvas, I guess, with these smaller stories making bigger stories making bigger arcs turning into one giant character arc for a team or group. All I can say is I'm dedicated to the Flash Universe.
IGN Comics: When you're planning out these long-term blueprints, how much wiggle room do you allow yourself to pick up on ideas on the fly?
Johns: Oh, plenty. Everything grows and changes. Even before I type it, a line of dialogue changes or a scene suddenly takes a different shape. Things always evolve and change, but the general direction is always pretty solid when I start.
IGN Comics: Have there been any recent instances where a sudden idea pulled the rug out from under all your plans?
Johns: Sure. Absolutely. For instance, it quickly became clear that the idea for Flash: Rebirth was nothing like Green Lantern: Rebirth. In fact, it's the exact opposite.
IGN Comics: How so?
Johns: Well Hal Jordan was a bad guy. He was essentially the worst sinner and biggest maniac in the DC Universe, and then he came back. This is the exact opposite. Barry Allen is deemed a saint and the greatest hero in the DC Universe, and he's come back. The entire story is almost upside down from Hal Jordan's rebirth.
IGN Comics: Well the whole goal of Green Lantern: Rebirth was to show why Hal Jordan was the greatest Green Lantern of them all. Is that the same goal with Barry's rebirth?
Johns: It's a Barry-centric story. The goal is to explore Barry and find out what he means to the Flash universe other than just saying he's the greatest. All these guys look up to him save for Bart. Jay looked up to him. Wally obviously looked up to him. All the DC Universe looked up to him – even heroes that Barry never met. And Barry comes back to find all that. But it's not a question of showing everybody who Barry is. It's almost a question of Barry rediscovering it for himself.
IGN Comics: So it's almost like you're trying to humanize the legend, whereas with Hal it was about trying to build that legend back up.
Johns: Well with Hal we saw some of the back-story and we got to see his humanity a lot. You have to realize that they stopped doing any monthly storytelling with Barry Allen in 1985. I didn't start reading comics until '85. You have Barry Allen missing an entire two decades of modern storytelling. He didn't get the Batman: Year One, the Superman: Man of Steel, the Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn or the George Perez Wonder Woman treatments. He's a blank slate in a lot of ways. A lot of readers don't know him.
Now for me, when Hal Jordan came back, Hal Jordan was coming back as a cornerstone of a bigger universe of the Green Lantern mythology. It was about raising the bar of the Green Lantern Universe itself – what it meant and the scope of it all. And Hal was the cornerstone of it. For a lot of readers I talked to, this was the first time they had read Green Lantern. Hal Jordan didn't come back for all the people who remembered him way back when. I mean, he came back for them too, but it was really more for a brand new audience. Hal Jordan brought in a lot of new people.
And that's the same thing we're going for with Flash: Rebirth and Barry's return. I want people who never read the Flash before to jump onboard and find out what the Flash universe is all about. It's not just about a guy who runs fast. There are all these other characters involved, and chief among them is Barry Allen. But then the question becomes 'why is he the cornerstone?' Just because people say so? Because he saved the universe? Well as Bart Allen says in this issue, "Sure, he sacrificed himself to save the universe, but now he's back. So what did he really sacrifice?"
IGN Comics: Again, that brings me back to my point about Bart, in that he's voicing a lot of the thoughts of modern day readers.
Johns: The idea is that you've never seen Barry in action before. You've never seen him cut loose.
IGN Comics: As far as bringing new fans on goes, attempting to introduce and redefine the Flash Universe for a new generation seems like quite the daunting task. Did you have to go back and reevaluate what defines a great Flash story? Obviously, you had the long run on the monthly where you probably thought about the same questions, but this seems a lot different.
Johns: I tackled things back then differently. If you look at this first issue, there's a real sense of speed as a theme. Ethan did a great job on this, and the idea of speed is something Ethan and I talked a lot about. But the job of Flash: Rebirth is to tell the absolute best Flash story we can utilizing all the pieces on the table. Again, it's about taking all that and pushing it to the next level.
IGN Comics: Is it as simple as coming up with all the iconic elements from the Flash's past and trying to incorporate them in a fresh way?. To use the simplest example, the latest solicits describe another Superman vs. Barry race.
Johns: That solicit itself is probably the most simplified version of what Rebirth #3 is you could ever imagine. You probably see that solicit and think, "oh, another race between Barry and Superman!" And as you can tell from issue #1, this thing is pretty hardcore. It's a hardcore mystery. It's a detective story. It's a superhero epic on a much bigger scale than a simple bunch of races strung together by a "Welcome Back, Barry" story.
IGN Comics: But do you have certain tropes in your head that you know you want to hit in a Flash story?
Johns: Well there were certain things I wanted to hit, but they had to happen organically. The only reason there's even a semblance of a Superman/Flash race in this series is because as I was writing it that grew organically out of the story. The race is for a very specific reason. Superman is essentially trying to stop Barry from doing something. But again, all this stuff grows out of the story.
IGN Comics: Anything else you want to say about the miniseries?
Johns: Just that if you don't know who Barry is, then this is the book for you.
IGN Comics: Thanks for taking the time, Geoff. Look forward to talking to you about issue #2.
Johns: No problem, Dan. Talk to you then.
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Post by goldenfist on Apr 16, 2009 12:13:50 GMT -5
DC Unveils Justice League Artwork DC's official news blog sure is on a roll. After showing off various Blackest Night goodies, The Source has now debuted the first cover for Justice League: Cry For Justice. Some of you might be wondering about this project. This was announced about a year ago as the second Justice League series, written by James Robinson. Mauro Cascioli was announced as the artist. Then fans and press stopped hearing about the project. Where did it go? It turns out that Cascioli is painting the series, and the art is simply taking far longer than anticipated. The project is now a mini-series (though we honestly don't recall DC ever claiming it was an ongoing... but it's been a while) that will debut this summer. DC has updated its blog over the past two days to reveal the cover and first interior art for the series. You can find those pages below. media.comics.ign.com/media/142/14242349/img_6625298.htmlJustice League: Cry for Justice #1 media.comics.ign.com/media/142/14242349/img_6628957.htmlmedia.comics.ign.com/media/142/14242349/img_6628961.htmlmedia.comics.ign.com/media/142/14242349/img_6628959.html
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Post by goldenfist on May 18, 2009 14:26:56 GMT -5
Back in Action: Rucka and Robinson on Captain Atom Captain Atom is back in July, and Superman’s got him. Well, more specifically, the Superman books have got him, and they’re not letting him go. Starting with Action Comics #879, Captain Atom will star in a co-feature that re-introduces him to the DC Universe. But is it the same Captain Atom? And if it is where’s he been since he was last seen as “Monarch” in the pages of Countdown after playing a role in the destruction of one of the many multiple earths? For some answers, and more teases, we spoke with the co-feature’s writers, Greg Rucka and James Robinson. Newsarama: How did the Captain Atom co-feature come about for your two? Was it something where you looked at each other and realized that you needed to be doing more writing... Greg Rucka: Oh, that was exactly it (laughs). NRAMA: But seriously, did DC come to you with the idea of a co-feature in Action, and asked who you’d like, or was Captain Atom already on the table along with the whole deal? James Robinson: The idea of the co-feature was put forward, and we’d always kicked around the idea of Captain Atom being a part of Superman’s world, so that was a pretty obvious choice for a co-feature, and also, Captain Atom fit the other criteria, which is that they should star characters who have a definite fan interest, but not enough, or the character isn’t strong enough right now to maintain a monthly book. So he worked on a couple of levels. But the problem was that if we brought in another writer, it would be just one more piece of confusion. There’s already three writers and Geoff, in his Adventure Comics run will be involved, even though that’s a little ways off. So it wasn’t as if Greg and I were thinking “Oh my God, we can’t wait to add another ten more pages!” to our workloads, but the benefit of writing it ourselves outweighed the problems and confusion that adding another writer to the mix could have introduced. This way, we can keep it in our control. NRAMA: So how do you and Greg work together on this? JR: I think Greg would agree that we have a very effortlessness way of working together, which I’m surprised how much fun and how easy it is to work together – would you agree Greg? GR: Oh absolutely. It’s always energizing to work with really talented people, and I find it easier when you’ve got a partner in crime, when you’ve got somebody you can bounce this stuff around with, and to talk about him like he’s not here, the ideas just shoot forth out of James’ head. We’ll have conversations where we’re trying to figure out where we want to take something or some character, and he’ll throw out half a dozen very good ideas one after another – it’s like watching a professional dealer in Vegas sliding cards to players on a table. When the ideas are moving that quickly, it’s fun – you’re on your toes, and it brings out your best game. I really think that’s been evident in New Krypton, and when the issue of the co-feature came up, it was pretty clear how to go about doing it. James is doing the heavy lifting on this. I’m assisting on plots – he’s doing the bulk of the work. JR: But in terms of Captain Atom – it’s only ten pages – with two people writing it, it would probably take more time if it was just me writing it. What Greg does, and while he’s very, very complimentary to me and my ideas, he does have a lot of ideas too, but also he has a grounding. If you read those entries in 52 - what the other writers talked about with Greg was that he wanted to make sure things got back down to the ground so things weren’t all over the place. He was keeping track of the plotlines and making sure that everything was moving forward. So, if I were doing Captain Atom on my own, it would be a disaster. The intros weren’t very hard to figure out, but as Captain Atom starts to becoming a more ongoing part of the throughline of the books, Greg’s going to be the lifesaver. GR: I can tell you tight now that when the co-feature starts, the fan reaction is going to be “What the ---?” I think that there will be a contingent that will be ticked off by it – there’s always that contingent who, when they find something different that’s not explained immediately, they become furious. So the furious brigade will be burning us in effigy from the start, but it makes sense – there’s a reason for it all. JR: Just to be tantalizing, there’s also a reason why, even though we had five pages of the first co-feature complete when they previewed it, we only wanted them to show one. From the second page onward, it’s nothing that you would expect. GR: James is absolutely right – you will turn that first page, and say, “Okay – that ain’t right.” In all sincerity, people will be wondering what we’re doing, and what’s going on, but it all will be explained. NRAMA: Just to be clear though, this is Captain Atom, Nathanial Adam, who’s been appearing for years in DC titles – and who recently went through quite a lot in Countdown... GR: Yes. NRAMA: Would it be fair to say that there’s a fair amount of redemption in this story, or a putting him back on the tracks in a sense? GR: I think it’s very fair to say that, in many ways, this is a very redemptive story. JR: Yes, absolutely. I don’t know how much all the various things that he’s gone through we’ll refer to, but the idea that his life hasn’t necessarily come out the way he intended, and this is his chance to get things right, now, is there. There was a time when he was a fantastic DC character, and he just somehow got lost along the way. We just want to bring him back and make him great again. NRAMA: What makes him such a good fit for Superman’s universe? JR: There’re two things. One is that he never really felt like he belonged in the world of Barry Allen, Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen. Obviously, he was part of the Justice League, but he was floating around. The idea of bringing him into Superman’s world, in terms of his powers and his abilities makes sense – he’s different from Superman, but immensely powerful. Also, he’s very important in another way - one of the main villains were working with here is General Lane and Black Bag Op 7734, and we’re sort of painting this gigantic brush of evil across the U.S. military. SO it was important to us to have a military character who was a heroic good guy who shows that we don’t think the entire military is bad, but rather there can be a bad general or a bad black bag op. GR: Right – it’s General Lane who’s bad, not the military, and we want to make that clear. In point of fact, there are many, many soldiers there who believe in service and aren’t megalomaniacal paranoid lunatics. NRAMA: Taking a quick look at Captain Atom’s powers – it seems that if you go back with the character to his earliest appearances, even the Ditko days when he was a Charlton character, and some of the earlier DC appearances – it seems as if you can do so much more with his powers, given how far science has advanced in the past 25 years. To let the tail wag the dog a little – he’s as powerful, or more powerful than Dr. Manhattan of Watchmen. Will that be playing into your story and use of Captain Atom at all? After all, a strong argument could be made that, based on his powers, he’s the most powerful character in the DC Universe... JR: Yes, down the line it will. The situation that we’re starting out with immediately – the fact that he has his powers is important. Why he’s doing what he’s doing...his powers are part of why he’s doing what he’s doing. So that was something that we were thinking about at the time. Also, he’s obliquely referred to in July’s Jimmy Olsen Special as a “planet killer.” So you’re right – he could destroy the world. So that’s an aspect to his powers that, when we get into the big event that we have planned for next year, you’ll see that played out. The strange thing sometimes with writing comic books is that you want to sit down and tell the whole story, but with just 20 pages, or in this case, ten, you just can’t. You’ve got to pace it and pace it, and pace it. We’ll get there eventually – and I think readers will see that all along the way, al these things that people thought weren’t important were very important. So Captain Atom and his powers and his personal journey will all get covered and will all be dealt with. GR: Right. Captain Atom is starting in a place with regards to his location and his powers is outside of his box. It’s going to be a slow escalation before you get to the full-on article, but it’s coming. NRAMA: One last question – how would you two describe that only page that’s out there? JR: It’s three panels, all showing Captain Atom, and through his internal monologue, we realize he’s on a mission, and it’s a mission of a type that he’s done before. He’s in a forest – it would be in Eastern Europe, it would be in England, it could be in Appalachia. We don’t know where he’s going, but we know there’s going to be violence and action very shortly. i.livescience.com/images/CaptainAtom.jpgthe first page of the Action #879 Captain Atom co-feature
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Post by goldenfist on May 31, 2009 11:41:10 GMT -5
McDuffie Fired from JLA
As a result of a question from yesterday's "20 Answers and 1 Question," Justice League of America writer Dwayne McDuffie has revealed that he has been fired from the book. A fan on his messageboard which cited the question Newsarama asked DiDio stated "I hope we fans bitchin' didn't get you off the book."
McDuffie responded:
Nope, it was my own doing. I was fired when "Lying in the Gutters" ran a compilation of two years or so of my answers to fans' questions on the DC Comics discussion boards. I'm told my removal had nothing to with either the quality of my work or the level of sales, rather with my revelation of behind-the-scenes creative discussions.
I have to say I'm a bit disappointed, because next summer was planned to feature a JLA-driven crossover, where my book's story line would have been the driving force. I'm distressed by where I left Black Canary, as my intention was to use the current subplot to strengthen her character and relationships with the new membership, and instead I'm leaving her at the bottom of a hole I'd intended to rebuild her from. I was also just about to get a regular artist for the first time since I've been on the book, which would have been nice. That said, I'm sure DC's going to put together a creative team that will generate major excitement around JLA, which is as it should be.
As for me, I'm still busy story-editing both Ben 10: Alien Force (just nominated for 3 Emmys!) and the upcoming new Ben 10 series "Ben 10: Evolutions." As far as comic-related stuff, the all-new "Milestone Forever," is still on track for late this year/early next year, and the Milestone trade paperback program is in full swing, with Static Shock, Icon and Hardware volumes already on the way. I've also recently completed a console video game script that I can't talk about yet, but that will be of interest to anyone reading this thread. I'm currently writing a Direct-To-Video animated feature for Warner Animation, the second of two I've taken on this year. Again, I can't say what they are until they're officially announced, but they're likely of interest to superhero fans, and one of them I can't help looking at as what-could-have-been. You'll see what I mean.
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 2, 2009 20:38:25 GMT -5
DC Comics Preview: Justice League: Cry For Justice #1 In conjunction with The Source, the DC Comics blog, we’re got an early look at July’s Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 by James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli. The solicitation for the issue reads: What brings a team together? Justice! Batman and Martian Manhunter have been slaughtered. But he's not the only hero to fall at the hands of villains. The murder has to stop, and it's time to take the fight to the bad guys! Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Atom, Shazam, Congorilla and Starman unite in a cry for justice! This 6-part miniseries from James Robinson (STARMAN, SUPERMAN) and rising star artist Mauro Cascioli (TRIALS OF SHAZAM) pushes our heroes to the brink and beyond as evil can no longer be tolerated to win. But when Prometheus plans his revenge on not only the heroes, but on the very places they call home, will this new team be ready to pay the cost for the justice they seek? This time it's personal – and it'll only get more bloody before it's over! Click on the link to see the preview www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=1080
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 4, 2009 12:30:50 GMT -5
Grant Morrison has taken the Dark Knight to some of the strangest places of his 70-year career, from Arkham Asylum to Gothic to Batman RIP. With Bruce Wayne currently dead/missing/a caveman/trapped in the Omega Effect/we’re not sure, his former sidekick Dick Grayson has taken over the cowl, with his genetically-engineered hothead son Damien taking over as Robin. The Battle for the Cowl is over, and now Batman and Robin are on the streets of Gotham, with Morrison at the wheel and longtime collaborator Frank Quitely penciling the first arc. With the first issue in stores, here’s Morrison on what you can expect from the series...
Newsarama: Grant, how is Batman and Robin distinctive from your other Batman stories, or indeed, what you would typically view as a Batman tale?
Grant Morrison: It’s different because Batman is a different person under the cowl. I don’t want to stray too far from what makes the character successful, so this has all the action, adventure and excitement you’d expect from a Batman book, although with perhaps a slightly more upbeat tone than we’ve seen for a while. The darks are very dark, but the light is neon-bright.
It’s always important to remember that Gotham isn’t some derelict hellhole, it’s the most larger-than-life, exciting city in the world. It has to be like New York plus or no-one would want to live there, so we’re emphasizing the excitement and color and buzz of the place, as well as its more familiar gloomy and gargoyle-y shadows. Gotham is where Crime becomes Art, after all.
NRAMA: With Batman RIP, you deconstructed Batman down to his absolute core, similar to his arc in 52. Now, obviously there's a while before Bruce Wayne comes back, but you do have this rebirth of Batman and Robin in the new series. Aside from what we've seen in Battle for the Cowl, what is the status quo we're looking at for the new series?
GM: The status quo is fiendishly simple: The ex-Robin is now Batman and Batman’s evil son is now Robin. They’re based at Wayne Tower in Gotham City’s midtown, and use the subterranean Bat-Bunker as a base of operations rather than the Batcave. And they have a flying Batmobile, as well as lots of other new vehicles and gadgets. Their mission, however, is the same as it’s always been - protect the innocent and rid the streets of weird criminal scum.
NRAMA: Dick Grayson as Batman was briefly done in 1994, with the moral of that story being that Dick felt better off being his own man and forging his own legacy. What is your take on Dick as Batman? He knows Bruce better than perhaps anyone (well, maybe not Alfred), but at the same time, there is a sense that he's playing a role, rather than being the Bat Bruce was. What is your take on Dick in this role?
GM: A lot of the first arc is about how Dick responds to “playing the role”, as you say. I think he’d much rather be Nightwing, ultimately, but he’s known all his life that if anything ever happened to Bruce, this is what he‘d have to do.
In the Prodigal storyline, Dick knew Batman was still alive and determined to recover, but this time, he has convincing evidence that Bruce is dead, which makes it all a bit more serious. Dick Grayson knows Batman is more important than Nightwing in the long run and, quite simply, he doesn’t want anyone tarnishing the legacy of Batman - especially not Jason Todd.
NRAMA: For that matter, might we find out all this is a novel Alfred was writing? Hey, it's been done
GM: Yeah, those were good stories. I referenced that era in JLA #8 and #9 a little bit. This time it’s real, and people get hurt.
NRAMA: You've been pretty up front about the fact that Damien is, to use terms that are perhaps unprofessional in the world of journalism, a little {explicative deleted}. Well, at least you've been up front about the fact that he's very bratty and a bit of a psycho, though at least no one's called for him to be beaten with a crowbar and blown up. What can we expect from Damien-as-Robin? What is his relationship with Dick like, and how do you see him evolving over the course of this series?
GM: He makes a pretty cool Robin, I have to say. Yes, he’s bratty, but only because he’s rich and spoiled and probably the best 10-year old fighter on the planet. His sense of entitlement and privilege can be nauseating at times, but shouldn’t be too unfamiliar to anyone who lives in the modern world.
On the positive side, Damian is tough, fearless and intelligent. He’s carrying the DNA of Bruce Wayne and Ra’s Al Ghul, and is certainly a better and more dangerous fighter than any of the previous Robins. He’s no more a psycho than Bruce ever was (!) but he’s had a fairly severe upbringing among some of the world’s most evil master-villains, and it‘ll take a little time to shake off that bad influence. For sheer combat skill, however, this is the uber-Batman and Robin team. Criminals beware! Readers rejoice!
Damian’s relationship with Dick is...spiky to say the least, but that’s something we’ll see grow and develop over the next year, along with Damian himself. There’s much more scope for drama and personal conflict with this partnership and I plan to take advantage of that.
If you look back at the early Dick Grayson Robin stories, he’s a bit of a brat himself, and is constantly disobeying Batman’s direct orders, so in some ways we’re only going back to the rebellious roots of the character.
NRAMA: How does the flash-forward story from #666 tie into this?
GM: Considerably...
NRAMA: (mumbling) Lousy Scottish tease...
Tell us about some of the new characters we'll be meeting -- it's always fun to find out about your notes on these.
GM: Because the focus for the first arc is on Batman and Robin themselves, I wanted to introduce some new villains who didn’t need much backstory, and could spark off a good first adventure without taking too much of the spotlight away from the big drama between the leads. Professor Pyg was a villain I created for Batman #666, and I felt there was some potential there to be developed, so he’s being set up here.
The name ‘Professor Pyg’ comes from “Pygmalism,” a Kahimi Karie song written by Momus (who also has a song entitled “Three Devils” which, quite coincidentally, is the name of a group of Batman foes from the 1940s). “Pyg”, short for “Pygmalion,” refers to George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, which was turned into the musical film My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.
Shaw’s book, and the musical based on it, use the Greek legend of Pygmalion as the basis for a “nature vs. nurture” story about a man - the domineering Professor Henry Higgins - who bets he can transform even the lowliest street urchin into a well-spoken society lady (like some early version of the “ladette to lady” “Gs to gentlemen” reality shows). Higgins uses simple rhymes and mnemonic exercises as he teaches Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle how to enunciate her words in the style of the posh ladies of Edwardian high society, until she too can pass among them undetected.
Movie enthusiasts will know that Rex Harrison also played Doctor Doolittle, who by strange coincidence was famed for teaching barnyard animals to speak proper, so our Professor Pyg mixes all these characteristics and influences together to create a monster who wants to make everything and everyone “perfect,” as he sees it, by transforming them into grotesque brain-damaged “Dollotrons.”
His associates, the Circus of Strange - Mr. Toad, Big Top, Siam and Phosphorus Rex - are classic old school circus freak types - lizard man, vastly-obese bearded “lady,” conjoined kung-fu fighting triplets and the ever-popular man with his head on fire! Quitely runs wild with these designs ,and the big fight scene in issue #2 blew me away when I saw what he’d done with it.
“Revenge of the Red Hood” then introduces two major new characters to Batman’s world but we can talk about them nearer the time.
NRAMA: Will some classic characters that haven't been seen in a while show up, and if so, what can you tell us about them?
GM: We’ll see a couple of old favorites during the run - Talia will obviously make an appearance, checking in with her son. I’d like to see what’s going on with the Joker and have an idea I don’t think has been done before with him. Doctor Hurt/Thomas Wayne/The Devil from Batman RIP will be making a comeback to finish what he started. I’m trying to think of fresh angles for all of them, but mostly its new situations and characters.
NRAMA: How is the way Frank draws Batman and his world different from the way he renders Superman?
GM: It’s much more kinetic. Batman and Robin is a heavily action-oriented book unlike Superman which was plot-driven, very tightly constructed and controlled. The work here has a little more of the We3-style energy and fragmentation about it.
We’ve had a lot of fun working out the different fighting styles of Batman and Robin - Dick Grayson is more slender than Bruce Wayne, and younger. His moves are more gymnastic, exuberant and acrobatic when he fights, with lots of somersaults and Le Parkeur-type stunts.
Damian is like a little war machine - direct, brutal and deadly. He takes it all very seriously. As I’ve been writing his scenes and seeing the art come in, there’s something about the whole “pint-sized scrapper” aspect of his character that’s reminding me of early Wolverine. He just won’t give in. He’s a badass kid who thinks he’s invulnerable - and because his organs can be harvested and replaced at his mother’s expense any time - he practically is!
NRAMA: Tell us about your work with the other artists on the series.
GM: . I’ve just started on my arc with Philip Tan and looking forward to seeing what he’s going to do with the Red Hood story. I’m encouraging him to do the really moody, high-contrast noir-ish stuff he’s so good at. I know Frazer Irving’s coming on to do an arc and I’m very excited about working with him again. I’ve been dreaming of how the Frazer Irving Batman could look since we first worked together.
NRAMA: There have been some classic Bat-foes reinvented the last few years -- Gail Simone has made Cat-Man a player, for example. Are there any oddball Bat-villains you'd like to remold, such as Dr. Double X or the Signalman? Dare I ask, the KGBeast?
GM: I’m doing a bit of a reinvention on the Red Hood but that’s about it. Didn’t James Robinson kill the KGBeast ? (I like names like that - the CIAlien, the FBIdol, the PTApe...)
NRAMA: Well, the Beast’s head was seen floating around in a jar in Nightwing, so his self-dismembering menace could always return...!
For that matter, you brought to light some forgotten classics of Bat-lore with The Black Casebook. Any other eras of Bat-history you'll be drawing from for this story, or are there any periods of Batman stories that you feel have been unfairly neglected?
GM: Not so much with this one. We’ve borrowed and updated the Pop Art sensibility and the self-aware sound effects from the ‘60s TV sho, but other than that, these stories don’t refer much to the past. They don’t rely on any knowledge of anything more than the cultural basics of Batman and Robin. This run is quite different in tone from RIP and is not as somber or gothic. It’s more like a bad trip on a funhouse ride, I like to think.
NRAMA: What can you tell us about your arcs on the series?
GM: Geoff Johns and I were talking last year about the unstoppable popularity of “event” comics, and we decided the only way forward in this Darwinian scenario was to make every story arc an “event” of its own - then make every page, every panel an event!!!! - until all comics explode on contact with human flesh, pulsing with the sheer radiant energy of their own importance! Batman and Robin is an attempt by my artistic collaborators and myself to realize that dreadful dream.
The “Batman Reborn” opener introduces the new Batman and Robin team as in a first movie. The second is “Revenge of the Red Hood.” The third one deals with the mystery of what happened to Bruce Wayne, and it‘s our big DCU superhero team-up arc, including a visit from Batwoman and a return for Squire and Knight. As for the final arc of the year...
NRAMA: You've spoken of your enjoyment of The Dark Kmight, which has helped shape the perception of Batman for many audiences. Yet, it's also a more "real-world" take on Batman, contrasting the mythological figures with a "how could someone realistically be a superhero?" type of story. This is somewhat in contrast to your most recent run on Batman, where you're embracing more fantastic elements, ranging from Man-Bats to Bat-Mite.
This is all a rather long-winded way of asking if The Dark Knight has influenced your take on the Batman comic, or if you're going in another direction (or perhaps embracing aspects of the film, but applying them to a different, more fantastic aesthetic).
GM: I’ve been influenced by all the different takes on Batman. As far as I’m concerned, RIP wasn’t too far in tone from the recent Batman movies. Even Man-Bat could fit into the Christopher Nolan world, and although I used Bat-Mite, it was pretty clear he was being deployed in a very different context from any of the more openly “magical” Batman stories of the 1950s.
By making some of these alien worlds and impossible creatures into drug hallucinations or products of abnormal psychology, I was actually trying to bring an entire rejected era back into canon ,and ground Batman’s ‘50s world in a more emotionally believable place a la The Dark Knight.
Otherwise, I know I’m often wasting my breath and electronic ink saying this, but the “real-world” is a pretty weird place where lots of inexplicable things happen all the time, and I like to catch the flavor of that too. It just seems more modern and authentic to me as a storyteller. The “real world” doesn’t come with the neat thee-act structures and resolutions we love to impose on it, and if repeated doses of movie and TV-storytelling have convinced anyone that it does, it‘s time to get out and about a bit.
The real world is filled with ghost stories, non sequiturs, inexplicable mysteries, dead ends and absurdities, and I think it’s cool to season our comfortable fictions with at least a little taste of what actual reality is like.
NRAMA: Tells us about some of your upcoming projects – many readers are particularly interested in Multiversity.
GM: I don’t want to say anymore about The Multiversity until nearer the release date - way off in 2010, where they made that film. I’m currently wrapping up issue 5 – “Captain Marvel and The Day That Never Was!” - but beyond that last word, my lips are sealed until next year!
NRAMA: Any final words for our readers on Batman and Robin?
GM: I’d just like to thank all the enthusiastic readers who’ve helped make the Batman titles some of the most successful I’ve ever worked on. Thanks for supporting the books ,and hope you enjoy the upcoming madness.
The advance orders for Batman and Robin have been DC’s highest in years and the Batman RIP hardcover has been floating with the creamy bits at the top of the New York Times graphic novel hardcover bestseller list since March 2009. Every-bloody-body loves Batman!
Oh, and at the opposite end of the popularity scale, check out Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye!, my Vertigo book. It’s got a reputation for being “weird,” and since “weird” is apparently the worst thing a superhero comic can possibly be these days, it’s flying so far under the radar it‘s like black ops.
If you sometimes tire of the usual amusements, and yearn for a dark, satirical Philip K. Dick-ish/Prisoner-ish take on superheroes and life as we know it, with astonishingly good artwork by Cameron Stewart, theme parks in ruins and cartoon characters on fire, then there’s really only one comic that can satisfy your need, and Praise the Almighty, it‘s here! That’s S.E.A.G.U.Y. Seaguy. You have been plugged.
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 11, 2009 11:03:31 GMT -5
DC announces Red Tornado mini series. Can’t get enough of Big Red? Well, DC has the answer for you: a new Red Tornado mini-series. The onetime member of the Justice League will be examining his origins in this series by Kevin VanHook and artist Jose Luis, teasing the idea of Reddy’s “android family,” which may come into tension with his wife and adopted daughter. And if you click the above link, you’ll also get a J.G. Jones image of a character known as the Red Volcano… Hot stuff? Or is this series just going to be blowing in the wind? We’ll find out in September blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/normal_redtornado1.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 14, 2009 13:23:47 GMT -5
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #6 Written by Geoff Johns Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver In a battle along the outskirts of time, the secrets of the Speed Force have been revealed! The new archnemesis of those who ride the lightning is coming for Iris Allen. And the Barry Allen you knew is gone forever...or is he? What change does Wally West face? What destiny will Kid Flash choose? Prepare to meet a Flash Family that's both familiar and different...and get to the starting line for the next epic adventures of the Speed Force! Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information. i.livescience.com/images/flashreb_cv6.jpgJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #37 Written by Len Wein Pencil art by Tom Derenick Cover by Joe Prado It’s the epic finale of the 3-part Royal Flush arc as Roulette and Amos Fortune raise the stakes, and the JLA go all in! But with the odds against them, the team had better pray for a last-minute miracle before their chips are cashed in for good. i.livescience.com/images/jla_cv37.jpgJUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #3 Written by James Robinson Art and cover by Mauro Cascioli The team welcomes two new members as Supergirl and Shazam join the roster! And it’s just in time, too, because when Prometheus is finally caught and his evil machinations are revealed, the League finds out they may be unable to stop him. i.livescience.com/images/jla_cryjustice_cv3.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 23, 2009 11:14:45 GMT -5
Exclusive DC Preview - 'Justice Society of America #28' Jerry Ordway comes on for a new arc of Justice Society and we have an exclusive 1st look preview at his 1st issue... Written by Jerry Ordway; Art by Jerry Ordway and Bob Wiacek; Cover by Jerry Ordway A Japanese spirit has appeared to exact revenge on the living symbols of America's atomic warfare while the rest of the JSA reaches out to another founding member for assistance: The Spectre! Continuing the haunting new arc by Jerry Ordway and Bob Wiacek. Click on the link to see the previews www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=1133
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Post by goldenfist on Jul 3, 2009 9:27:33 GMT -5
The Eve of Blackest Night: Geoff Johns on...Everything
And now it begins.
Anticipated by comic book fans since it was first teased in 2007 within the pages of Green Lantern, Blackest Night kicks off this month with the release of Blackest Night #1 by writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis.
The eight-issue mini-series promises to bring back a slew of dead DC heroes, reviving them as zombie-like Black Lanterns as part of an epic battle between the power rings of the Green Lantern universe.
As we follow up on our last conversation with Johns about Blackest Night , we get more details about what just happened in the last issue of Green Lantern and find out more about what's coming in Blackest Night .
Newsarama: Let's start right up front, Geoff, by talking about the issues involved in this event. There are several tie-in mini-series and issues, but can you read the Blackest Night mini-series alone without reading anything else?
Geoff Johns: You can read Blackest Night on its own. But if you're reading Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, you have to read Blackest Night . I figured people reading Green Lantern or Green Lantern Corps are going to be reading Blackest Night anyway, so that’s how it’s structured.
NRAMA: So a new reader could just read Blackest Night and nothing else?
GJ: Yes. But I hope people want to read everything, because it's a really great story, and I think we're turning out some really good comic books here. But I've worked really hard to make sure that if you only want to read Blackest Night, you can read it. I am so proud of the work I’m doing with Ivan and Doug [Mahnke] and what Pete [Tomasi]’s doing with Patrick [Gleason]. I think it’s stellar.
NRAMA: With all the "events" we've had over the last few years, what would you say is different and unique about Blackest Night? ENLARGE IMAGE GJ: For me, the best part of Green Lantern is all the new elements that are being introduced – new characters, like Larfleeze. He's existed for four months. Same with Atrocitus and Saint Walker and the upcoming Indigo-1.
So that's one thing about what's happening with Green Lantern and what we're doing for Blackest Night. There's obviously a lot about the story that is exciting and different, but I think the fact that we've got all these new characters who are becoming a meaningful part of the DCU is what makes it truly unique. I think the story possibilities are endless with the emotional spectrum.
NRAMA: It's almost overwhelming when you look at all the characters you've created since taking over Green Lantern. Is that something you consciously decided to do for this comic and subsequently this event?
GJ: Well, it's something I've been doing in other comics too. If you look at JSA, by the time I left, half of them are new. When I was on Flash, a lot of the villains I introduced, like Tar Pit and Girder and Murmur and Hunter Zolomon, were new too. I'm always trying to introduce new characters that feel organic to the world. I want them to feel like they existed in that world already.
But you know, along with those new characters, I'm a firm believer that you also want to polish up the characters who are here. You want to present the characters that we know and love already in a new light. You have to do both. I don't want to just throw out all new characters. If I'm working in the DC Universe, I don't want to do one or the other. I want to do both, and with the expansion of Blackest Night, there is the space to explore other DC characters that don’t often get a spotlight in an “event.”
And since John Stewart was a central figure in Justice League over the last year, he hasn’t been as prominent in the Green Lantern stories as of late. That changes starting in Blackest Night with a pretty shocking event in Green Lantern #44, which Doug Mahnke illustrated beautifully. And Green Lantern #48 is all John Stewart.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: With all these new characters and new rules and prophecies and histories you've been introducing to the Green Lantern universe, where is all of this organized? Do you work in notebooks? Or is it all in a database? Or do you just keep it in your head?
GJ: I have notebooks, and there are documents with notes on them. But a lot of it's in my head. That's just the way I work. The whole story has documents that I've outlined and notes that I've written, but most of it still resides in my head. I guess I'm just used to dealing with a lot of stuff at once. I enjoy it though. I enjoy living in that world.
I mean, right now I'm living Blackest Night. I come up for air to write Adventure Comics and Superman: Secret Origin which is about as 180 degrees from Blackest Night as you can get. It’s actually refreshing to work on books that are so radically different.
NRAMA: Obviously, you're aware of the delays that have happened with past events from publishing companies. Is there an effort at DC to prevent that with Blackest Night?
GJ: Everyone’s kicking ass. Ivan's cruising. And his work is amazing as always. Obviously we're trying to get everything out on time while still being able to make everything the highest quality. With Sinestro Corps, I think 95 percent of the books came out on time. And we still maintained really high quality on those books.
NRAMA: You mention the success of Sinestro Corps, and one of the things that was unique about that story was that it was so Green Lantern-centric. Yet there are expectations of Blackest Night being a DC universe-wide event. Have you tried to balance the two?
GJ: The story encompasses the entire DC Universe, but there's obviously a heavy focus on Green Lantern and the other Lantern corps. It's just the story I'm telling.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: Yet it doesn't really touch any of the already-existing ongoing titles, right?
GJ: We'll have a few books that tie into it later, but most of it is contained in the mini-series and the Green Lantern books.
NRAMA: There are several three-issue mini-series that tell the stories of characters like Batman and Superman and The Titans. Why that choice?
GJ: These stories are being told because they have a clear reason for being told. Blackest Night: Titans has a clear reason that fits into the bigger DC Universe story of Blackest Night.
And there's so much emotional material to get out of that. I mean, Superman and Superman of Earth 2 – there's a lot that James Robinson is getting out of those two characters. The same with the Titans. You've got Beast Boy and Terra. So there's just story potential and emotional potential to explore these characters, each very differently, by looking at the people that they've loved and lost, or feared and lost. That's the reason for the various mini-series that tie into Blackest Night.
NRAMA: With the emotional resonance of these meetings between the dead and the living, has it been a challenge to make this story new reader accessible since those things depend on a knowledge of the characters' past relationships?
GJ: No. Not at all for me. I think Blackest Night, especially #1, is extremely accessible. But you know, it's as accessible as Return of the Jedi was. You can watch Return of the Jedi as its own film and get into it. And if you want to know more, you can go back and learn more.
Accessibility is a word that people throw around, and mostly it's from people who are well versed in this stuff. And they say, well, I liked it but I don't think it's very accessible. They judge a new comic reader wouldn't get it when they're not a new comic reader. And yet there are so many new comics readers that have come up to me and said they got on board with Sinestro Corps. Or who got on board with Rage of the Red Lanterns. Even Agent Orange. People aren't stupid. People will pick things up. Just like going into season 2 of a television show. I'm making a very big effort to make sure it's accessible and make sure the characters are introduced and the world is organic. I think I accomplished that in Sinestro Corps #1, and Blackest Night #1.
ENLARGE IMAGE You pick up Blackest Night #1, all you need to know – and it's right in there – is that the Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic police force. And these Earth men were chosen to be a part of it. From there, you’re off and running.
NRAMA: OK, but it just seems to me that there might be some readers who see Terra show up as a Black Lantern and say "Hmm... wonder who that is?" In that case, you've got somewhere they can go to learn more in Blackest Night : Titans. But with these Black Lanterns, isn't the emotional/historical baggage a little more important to the story than it would normally be?
GJ: You’ll see that explored in the mini-series. But I’m being very specific with the Black Lanterns in the main Blackest Night story. There are Black Lanterns in the background, and if you know who they are, that's fun, but it's not always important to this story. It's like, who is Dengar in Empire Strikes Back? He's a bounty hunter in the background, and you don't go, "You know what? I can't figure this movie out because I don't know who that guy is! I’m outta here!”
It was the same way with Sinestro Corps. You didn't need to know the name of every Sinestro Corps member to enjoy that story. And it will be the same way with Blackest Night. You don't need to know every single thing in the background to understand what the story is about. But well-versed readers will get that extra charge.
So in the case of Blackest Night: Titans, which I think is going to be the sleeper of all the mini-series, it's not there so much to explain who Terra is, but it's there to explore Beast Boy and the Titans through Terra and through the other deceased Titans. It's to explore who these characters are now through who they were and where they're going next.
NRAMA: Can we talk about what happened in the last issue of Green Lantern? I know you're not going to be able to say much about Issue #42, since it had a few cliffhangers, but can I at least ask the questions?
GJ: Sure. ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: First, a clarification. When Larfleeze is holding the orange battery and it gets to over 7,000 percent, how did that happen?
GJ: That's Larfleeze drawing all of his Orange Lanterns into his power battery. It's taking it all back after it was all spread out. That power battery he has in his hands is the central power battery. So compared to a ring, it has a lot more power. It's like his ring is crackling alive there because it's a direct funnel from the central power battery in his hands.
NRAMA: When Hal took that central power battery away from Larfleeze, it started talking to him. Was that the emotion of "avarice" taking over Hal, or was there actually a voice coming from that battery?
GJ: There's a sentient voice inside there. There's something inside there.
NRAMA: Is that "something" the avarice entity?
GJ: Yep.
NRAMA: You've said before that Larfleeze is one of your favorite characters. We found out in issue #42 that with all his greediness, he's actually pretty funny. Was that fun for you to write?
GJ: He's such a weird character. And when you see him interact with Atrocitus, it's bizarrely hilarious. That's not something you'd expect with Atrocitus there. Like when you have Atrocitus interacting with Sinestro, it's not going to be punch and roses. It's just like the rings. Some interact well, and some do not. The fun thing about Larfleeze is that he is so out of touch with everything, he doesn’t understand why someone would be angry all the time. “What does THAT get you?”
NRAMA: What the Guardians did in Green Lantern #42 – pitting two factions against each other – surely this will come back to haunt them. Are we going to see their status quo changed in Blackest Night?
GJ: Yes.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: What they've done here is wrong, isn't it? So, are the changes to their status quo going to be related to their actions?
GJ: Yes, it's related to their actions. The Guardians thought they could kill two birds with one stone by keeping Agent Orange occupied and the Blue Lanterns occupied. Or destroyed. So they're hoping that this will eliminate two sides. It's like arming two sides and letting them wipe each other out.
And yes, it's absolutely wrong. And you see the Guardians starting to argue. There's one of them arguing in this issue saying "I don't agree with this." He's pointed out for his insubordination. There's now some dissent among these Guardians, and that will continue to play out. The Guardians don't all agree with what's going on now.
NRAMA: In the scene with Fatality and John, is the point here that love is necessary for forgiveness?
GJ: That’s what she believes.
NRAMA: Will we see more of these two characters and this story within Blackest Night?
GJ: Yes, you'll see more of John and Fatality in Blackest Night. A lot more. But it goes a very different way than how you're probably thinking.
As I said, John Stewart has the entire issue of Green Lantern #48 to himself. Or at least, he’s the only living Green Lantern in it.
NRAMA: Oh, now you're getting technical. On the subject of the dead, at the end of Green Lantern #42, we had a bit of a shock when we saw these black hands reaching up from depths. Is this an entity for the Black Lanterns?
GJ: No.
NRAMA: Is this something completely new?
GJ: I'm not going to say anything about it.
NRAMA: Hmmm. Are these two characters in some trouble now from these hands?
GJ: Yeah. I don't think you'll be seeing those two again. At least not in the same shape they're in now.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: As you've introduced the powers of the various colored rings, we've seen hints about what they can do. When Hal was wearing the blue ring in Green Lantern #42, he hoped for something and was given precognitive power, right? He saw Sinestro in the future?
GJ: He saw something.
NRAMA: OK. Is that scene with Sinestro something we're going to see in Blackest Night?
GJ: You'll see it sometime in the future. That's all I can say.
NRAMA: In the future. So correct me if I'm wrong, but have we ever seen a Green Lantern ring give its wearer a vision of the future?
GJ: No.
NRAMA: But visions of the future are something the blue power of hope can do?
GJ: Yes. Blue has the power of precognitive visions.
NRAMA: Is that related to the emotion of hope itself somehow?
GJ: Hope is the hope for something better tomorrow.
NRAMA: And that's what links it to the future?
GJ: Yes. I don't want to get into it too much, because people can figure this out on their own, and that's part of the fun of the whole thing. Some of it will be revealed as the story goes, but that's about as much as I'll get into it right now.
NRAMA: The blue ring that came off Hal: Will we see who gets that blue ring?
GJ: Yep. You'll see who gets that blue ring.
NRAMA: The ring said that Hal was an "invalid" Blue Lantern?
GJ: Yeah. [laughs] He's definitely not Blue Lantern material.
NRAMA: The last time we talked, you said Hal's a target for these various colors of rings, and that we'll find out why. But is it right to assume from this "invalid" line that while he may attract them, Hal's not equipped for them?
GJ: They're power that he has no ability to control. He's interacted with the red ring and blue ring and encountered the orange power battery, and when you see him with this blue ring, he's not a natural to be a hope lantern. Hal does have hope, but it’s not central to who he is. He's all about willpower and getting the job done. It's all about kind of going by the seat of his pants. And hope's a very different mentality than who Hal is.
It's one of the reasons I've enjoyed exploring Saint Walker so much. His story is really about, what does hope really mean? What is hope? It's hard to define hope, and a lot of people have an entirely different idea of what hope is. Larfleeze thinks hope is thinking, "I hope for this. I hope for that." He thinks the orange light and the blue light are the same thing. He doesn't understand the difference. And what is the difference? He hopes for the blue ring. He hopes he gets it. Isn't that hope? What is "want?" And what is "wishing?" There's a fine line between hope and greed. You'll see more about hope and all of these emotions, but I think the Saint Walker story in Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps is something I’ll be proud of for a long, long time. My other favorite tale is Arisia by Pete and Mike Mayhew. It’s beautiful. I love what Pete has done with Arisia.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: Let's talk about that mini-series. The three issues of Tales of the Corps are just extra tales about the characters involved in Blackest Night?
GJ: Yeah. Like I said, you'll see in the first issue of Tales of the Corps the origin of Saint Walker by me and Jerry Ordway. And it's just gorgeous. But there are short stories on a bunch of the characters -- both major, like Saint Walker, and minor, like the Orange Lantern named Blume.
Pete and I wrote all of them. So you get a taste of all these characters that you'll see in the background. This is what I was talking about when I was saying you don't have to know the characters in the background of Blackest Night. You don't have to read these stories in Tales of the Corps, but if you want to know more about somebody you see, then there are stories here about them. It's like when Bossk was in Empire Strikes Back, people went crazy. Who's Bossk? I had his action figure and wanted to know all about him, but guess what? I didn't. I still don’t. Maybe Wikipedia has a good Bossk entry. So what myself, Eddie and Adam wanted to do is start to explore some of these characters you see in the background and where they come from and what they're all about.
In all honesty, Tales of the Corps could have been running the entire length of Blackest Night and we could have told stories about these characters all along. There are so many stories to tell. But we're being very careful and making sure we do it right. Pete and I want to be very careful on how many we roll out. We want to take our time to make these stories as good as we can possibly make them.
NRAMA: Since you opened the door, is there a possibility we'll have another Green Lantern title after Blackest Night, such as a Tales of the Corps title?
GJ: There's always a possibility. But for now, the focus is Blackest Night.
NRAMA: Looking ahead at Green Lantern #43, you've said before that we'll see two entities in that issue, which concentrates on Black Hand. Anything else you want to tell people about next week's issue?
GJ: Green Lantern #43 is a prologue to Blackest Night. And it's Doug Mahnke's first issue. It's absolutely stunning.
ENLARGE IMAGE NRAMA: We saw a preview of the issue that had Black Hand considering a lot of candidates for Black Lanterns, including everyone from Boomerang to the original Question. So every one of these characters could be a Black Lantern?
GJ: I really can't answer questions about that image.
NRAMA: But the image spawned a ton of questions from fans.
GJ: Of course there are questions. That's the whole point of putting out that image [laughs], is for people to talk about it and wonder about it. "This guy was turned to dust, so how does this work?" You're supposed to not know, and that's half the fun of this. You're just going to have to read the book!
NRAMA: Fair enough. Back on the subject of your work on Blackest Night, is there a character you're writing that you're liking more than you expected?
GJ: A bunch. The biggest surprise is how easy it is to write when Hal and Barry are together. These two know each other so well, and there’s such a strong tie to them...it’s like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And something happens to Hal when he’s with Barry. It happens to me when I hang out with my friend, Matt. He’s so organized and punctual that a little part of my brain shuts off. I don’t need to worry about the time or where we’re going. I feel like that happens to Hal when he’s around Barry. Hal goes with the flow a little more, while Barry’s taking up the slack of figuring out where to go. I have more Barry and Hal scenes written down because they just keep writing themselves. Introvert and extrovert. Saint and sinner. Time and space.
And then there’s a character that’s really surprised me. I don’t want to give it away but she’s one of the strongest and most recognizable characters in the DC Universe, and yet she hasn’t been in the spotlight for a very long time. But she will be now. For quite some time to come.
NRAMA: OK, then which character will people get to know better in Blackest Night than they've ever known before?
GJ: Same character. She's been around since the '60s.
NRAMA: One thing you talked about earlier is that John was going to evolve. Will we see that kind of growth for Hal?
GJ: Well, hopefully you'll see it for all the characters. But the real central theme in this series is emotion. This entire series is about emotion. It's about conflicting emotion, and changing emotion, and dealing with emotion. What emotion means, what it is. That's what a lot of this has been about.
NRAMA: Do you think that's why this story has had such an impact with readers, because it's relevant to their experience with emotions?
GJ: And it’s also fun. All these different colored Corps are fun, unless you don’t have a fun-gene. And the emotion...I mean, we've all had experience with rage, whether we want to admit it or not. We all experience all these emotions, and it's hard to deal with.
NRAMA: As a writer, are you pulling from your own experience with emotions as you write this?
GJ: Yeah. You have to. And the hardest character to explore, just because it's such a dark, scary place to go, is Black Hand. He's very disturbing. I've written villains that are anti-heroes or psychopaths, but Black Hand's a whole different beast. Black Hand's scary. He's actually a scary character to me, and living with him is scary.
That’s why I have to do something bright and upbeat afterwards, like go hang out at my comic store and argue what the roster of the New Avengers should be or try and convince people to read Northlanders (it’s good!). Or I go to the Robot Chicken offices and make up sketches, like what if Big Boy went on the Biggest Loser and then lost his job. What does he do then? I feel better already.
NRAMA: With all the talk of characters returning from the dead, I don't think readers have thought about the darker side of this story. Is Blackest Night really that dark?
GJ: Yeah, it's definitely got horror elements in it. It's a horror/superhero epic. You have been warned.
NRAMA: You say the story is all about emotions. Is that mostly explored through the Black Lanterns and those who are living being forced to confront their emotions about the dead?
GJ: That's a huge part of it. But think about how many emotions there are involved with that, with losing someone you love. There's anger. There's sorrow. There's hope. There's fear. There's everything -- all these emotions go with losing somebody. It's not easy. It's not simple. People are complex. Emotions are complex.
Emotions are what makes us human. I firmly believe that it's what makes us different. I don't think emotions just come from an overly complex brain. And that's what this story is all about. Do I think the emotional spectrum exists? I think it probably does, in some form. There's something really powerful about emotions. You can walk into a room and tell when people are upset. You know? A lot of people are very empathic. There's something going on there. It's a higher power. It's something different. And to explore that and deal with that on a superhuman level is just exciting.
More than anything though, this has been an absolute blast. [DC editors] Eddie [Berganza] and Adam [Schlagman] are my beacons of light, my Guardians, as they skillfully coral the mind-bending insanity we’re all working on. Pete is my partner in crime and, as he’s been for years, and incredible friend – one who is invaluable to me on every conceivable level. And we’ve got the greatest team of artists doing brilliant work between Ivan, Doug and Patrick. Not to mention the talent on the mini-series which I think being put together by the well-known and the new talent makes it all the better. This is my Corps. Beware its power!
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Post by goldenfist on Jul 15, 2009 14:36:30 GMT -5
DC Double Feature: JSA v Kobra #2, Final Crisis Escape #3 JSA VS. KOBRA: ENGINES OF FAITH #2 Written by Eric Trautmann Art by Don Kramer & Michael Babinski Cover by Gene Ha A reinvigorated Kobra has attacked the Justice Society in their home, thrusting the heroes into a maelstrom of deception and violence, and the evidence points to an even bigger target on the horizon: S.T.A.R. Labs. As the Justice Society tracks Kobra sleeper cells through the streets of Metropolis, the mystery of Jason Burr's master plan deepens. Can the team defuse the threat in time – or will the growing tensions between them spell victory for Kobra? FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: ESCAPE #3 Written by Ivan Brandon Art by Marco Rudy & Mick Gray Cover by Scott Hampton Why do you fight? Are you not happy here? Are you not provided for? The Global Peace Agency loves you. Why would you ever leave? The recent reports of torture and death in Electric City are greatly exaggerated. Click on the link to the previews of the two books www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album_view.php?gid=1180
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Post by goldenfist on Aug 15, 2009 21:33:50 GMT -5
JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #5 Written by James Robinson Art and cover by Mauro Cascioli Supergirl and Shazam join the team as Prometheus is finally captured! His evil machinations are revealed, but even so, the League may be unable to stop the villain’s disturbing plans as he cuts down one of the members! Don’t miss this shocking new issue that’ll have everybody talking. i.newsarama.com/dcnew/Nov09/4/jla_cry_justice_5.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Aug 17, 2009 11:14:44 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Sept 20, 2009 18:13:21 GMT -5
JSA ALL-STARS #1 Written by Matthew Sturges Art and cover by Freddie Williams II Variant cover by Ryan Sook An all-new ongoing series! The Justice Society spin off group struggles to pull itself toward some semblance of order after the JSA's devastating split! New home base, new training methods, new villains - all bringing the JSA All-Stars face-to-"face" with one of their greatest villains again - for the first time! Join writer Matthew Sturges (JUSTICE SOCIETY, JACK OF FABLES) and artist Freddie Williams II (ROBIN) for a new chapter in the JSA legacy. i.livescience.com/images/jsa_allstars_cv1.jpgWONDER WOMAN #39 Written by Gail Simone Art by Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan Cover by Aaron Lopresti This is it! The secret behind Wonder Woman's new power and the true meaning of the Olympian are revealed right here! It's an all-out action issue as Diana faces an old foe with a hideous new face! i.livescience.com/images/ww_cv39.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Sept 21, 2009 22:21:43 GMT -5
BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #1 Written by Geoff Johns Art and cover by Scott Kolins Variant cover by Francis Manapul The Flashes of Two Cities - Barry Allen and Wally West - battle the undead Rogues. Will the legendary speedsters be able to handle the Black Lantern Rogues' revenge? Plus, witness the resurrection of Barry's greatest enemy, the Reverse Flash in this hyper-speed miniseries event reuniting the fan-favorite FLASH creative team of Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins! i.newsarama.com/dcnew/dec09/1/bn_flash_cv1.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Oct 17, 2009 13:12:07 GMT -5
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #41 Written by James Robinson Art and covers by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter Be here for the start of a new Justice League era! The JLA have been getting a pounding in the last couple of months, but NO MORE! The team regroups with a new roster that will transcend time and space! Make way for the World’s Greatest Heroes – Batman, Green Lantern, the Atom, Green Arrow, Donna Troy, the Guardian, Cyborg, Mon-El, Starfire, Dr. Light and, yes, Congorilla! This issue features two covers by Mark Bagley which are seperately orderable. Cover A features Green Lantern and Green Arrow; Cover B features Batman and Mon-El. i.livescience.com/images/jla_cv41.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Dec 8, 2009 12:02:35 GMT -5
DC Reveals Next Big Superman Event - WAR OF THE SUPERMEN
DC Comics latest bit of news in an apparent week of announcements is a story much teased by DC Universe Executive Editor Dan DiDio the past year – the big “status quo changing” Superman event for 2010. It’s called War of the Supermen and will kick off with this year’s Free Comic Book Day offering from the publisher, which takes place on May 1st.
James Robinson is writing the issue, with Eddy Barrow on art and a cover by J.G. Jones.
“Superman has left Earth in the hands of Nightwing, Flamebird, Mon-El and the Guardian,” teases DCU’s official Blog The Source. “The tensions between Earth and New Krypton are slowly rising. The winds of war are stirring.”
“War of the Supermen is the culmination of literally years of stories in the Super-books, all building to a destructive conflict which can have no victors,” adds editor Matt Idelson. “This Free Comic Book Day #0 issue is going to show the readers that no cows are sacred, and that they don’t want to miss this event.”
Like Monday’s announcement, DC choose to provide a little more info to another news source, in this case Time’s Techland Blog (http://techland.com/).
After the kick-off FCBD issue, according to a Q&A with Idelson, War of the Supermen will be a self-contained series designed to be read on its own, but the story will also crossover to individual DC titles and tie-in issues, and while the editor left the door open to the story touch upon other DC Universe titles, it will be largely focused within the Superman family in a “concentrated approach”.
Asked if like the multi-colored Lantern Corps or the Flash family, if readers will be seeing an increased Kryptonian Corps featuring more or new characters with an "S" on their chest, Idelson replied, “Hmm, how do I answer that? You'll definitely be seeing a lot more characters with an ‘S’ on their chests, but not the characters you might be thinking of.”
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Post by goldenfist on Dec 19, 2009 12:19:03 GMT -5
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL SPECIAL #1 On sale MARCH 10 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US Written by JAMES ROBINSON & J.T. KRUL Art and 1:25 variant cover by MIKE MAYHEW Cover by MAURO CASCIOLI Following the stunning conclusion to JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE comes the next epic chapter for the World’s Greatest Heroes. What controversial decision has created a split in the League? A new meaning to the term “hunt for justice” creates fear in the villain populace. Plus, a shocking secret is revealed that will change Green Arrow’s life forever. i.newsarama.com/images/jl-rise_and_fall1_02.jpgJUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL #1 On sale MARCH 24 • 1 of 4 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US Written by J.T. KRUL Art by GERALDO BORGES & MARLO ALQUIZA Cover by GREG HORN 1:25 variant cover by MIKE MAYHEW In JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE, Roy Harper lost everything at the hands of Prometheus, barely surviving the brutal severing of his arm. But when he finally awakens from his coma, Roy will find that his dangerous journey into despair is just beginning. i.newsarama.com/images/rise.of.arsenal_1_02.jpgJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #43 On sale MARCH 31 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US Written by JAMES ROBINSON Art by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER 1:25 Variant cover by MIKE MAYHEW Following the decision that occurred in JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE and the events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL SPECIAL #1, the World’s Greatest Heroes must come to terms with who they are and what they represent. Meanwhile, an all-new danger threatens the existence of everything past and present in the exciting finale of “Team History.” i.newsarama.com/images/jla_cv43_02.jpg
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Post by goldenfist on Feb 9, 2010 14:29:31 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Feb 15, 2010 1:16:05 GMT -5
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #45 On sale MAY 19 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US Written by JAMES ROBINSON Art and cover by MARK BAGLEY & ROB HUNTER A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Supergirl rejoins the JLA as incredible, ancient forces of chaos are unleashed. What could posses her and Power Girl to battle to the death? And what horrors await the rest of the Justice League and Justice Society in this prologue to "The Ghosts of Earth and Space"?! media.comics.ign.com/articles/106/1069185/img_7536917.htmlTITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL #1 On sale MAY 12 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US Written by ERIC WALLACE Art and cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO 1:25 Variant cover by FABRIZIO FIORENTINO It's a new team and direction for the Titans! Deathstroke and his mercenary team including Cheshire, Tattooed Man and other surprise members burst out of BRIGHTEST DAY #0! Get in on the ground floor here as the team is hired to assassinate The Atom! And for this team, failure is not an option! media.comics.ign.com/articles/106/1069185/img_7536901.html
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 3, 2010 23:26:08 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 8, 2010 12:25:06 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 10, 2010 11:19:29 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Mar 12, 2010 15:26:26 GMT -5
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Post by goldenfist on Jun 15, 2010 11:37:10 GMT -5
RED ROBIN #16 Written by FABIAN NICIEZA Art and cover by MARCUS TO & RAY MCCARTHY The new Anarky has his own version of Red Robin's Hit List! Ulysses Armstrong has made a record of Gotham City teens who could be Red Robin – and he's murdering them one by one. With an incapacitated Tim Drake crossed off his list, can Red Robin stop Anarky before the villain attacks his next target? And with the deaths of innocents weighing on his conscience, how far will Red Robin go to cross Anarky off his own Hit List? media.comics.ign.com/articles/109/1097282/img_7814851.html
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