DC Universe: The Source

For most, Labor Day is the last exit sign before crossing the border into fall, which means it’s our last chance to have a Friday off under the auspices of “Summer Fridays.” So, in more concrete terms – the DC offices are closed today and Monday, which means there’ll be no new posts until Tuesday. But come back then for a first look at BATMAN #703.

Have a great holiday weekend, all!

The long weekend is almost upon us, and minds tend to wander this close to the end of the work day. So, how about I provide you with a handful of links to click through and get through the day a bit faster?

• This morning, we unveiled a first look at SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, and the reaction was strong and positive, with pickup from WIRED, AOL COMICS ALLIANCE, THE BEAT, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, IGN, NEWSARAMA and iFANBOY. That Shane Davis sure can draw, huh?

• THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR spotlighted the recent news of Dick Grayson sticking around as one of two Batmen.

• NEWSARAMA spoke to Batman Group Editor Mike Marts about the decision and the overall landscape of the Bat-books later this year.

• And SPIKE TV announced the nominees for the 2010 SCREAM AWARDS, which include our very own Geoff Johns and J.H. Williams III.

We’ve had a lot of Batman news of late, but one thing we haven’t shared is what the new creative team on BATMAN AND ROBIN will be doing visually. As we unveiled not long ago, Peter Tomasi will be taking over as writer with his former GREEN LANTERN CORPS collaborator Patrick Gleason stepping in as artist.

And now, to end a short week with some cool news, we present you with Gleason’s first cover, for November’s BATMAN AND ROBIN #17.

But that’s not all. NEWSARAMA’s got a lengthy and substantial interview with Tomasi and another Gleason cover to show. So make your way to the site for more clues and snazzy Gleason visuals.

This October, writer J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman, Babylon 5, “Changeling”) and artist Shane Davis (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman) will take readers on a journey both familiar and new – a story of a last son looking for meaning amidst the skyscrapers and teeming crowds of a great metropolis.

This is a Superman for the 21st century.

With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman’s origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure.

In SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – the first original graphic novel retelling Superman’s origin — Clark Kent is a man looking for meaning in a new city and an age of failing newspapers, hand-held devices and instant gratification. But when you can fly through the sky and burn objects with a glance – things become a tad more complicated. Doubly so when a fleet of alien ships arrive on your doorstep.

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE channels the best tales of Superman with a look toward the future, by two of the brightest talents the industry has to offer. We’ve got a first look at the graphic novel below. Prepare to be wowed.

The third chapter of legendary Batman writer/artist Neal Adams’ epic adventure continues, as Bruce Wayne and Alfred strategize the next steps in the Dark Knight’s odyssey – which may lead him straight to the Riddler and Talia.

BATMAN: ODYSSEY #3 hits 9/9.

When Supergirl decides to get away from it all and visit Stephanie Brown on the campus of Gotham City University, a quiet, relaxing weekend turns into a monster movie mash-up. After a science experiment goes horribly wrong, 24 black-and-white Draculas are brought to life, and Batgirl and Supergirl are forced to become vampire hunters in order to stop an army of the celluloid undead.

BATGIRL #14 hits 9/9.

Everybody here at the DC offices is getting ready to clear out for a long weekend and the official end of the summer. Considering how much fun we had these past few months on the DC Nation tour, you’d think we’d be sad to say goodbye to the season. But knowing what I know about how we plan on closing out the year…well let’s just say there is a TON to be excited about. We’ll leave you with this image which contains not one, but two hints as to what you can expect.

Be seeing you,

—Ian Sattler, Senior Story Editor, DCU

This is the showdown you’ve been waiting for, as two Secret Six teams head for a nasty collision, courtesy of writer Gail Simone and artist J. Calafiore. Who is left standing, and will there even be a Secret Six when the dust settles? Bad guy guests galore in this turning point issue.

SECRET SIX #25 hits today.

We’ve got another batch of eye candy for you this afternoon, with a look at Ale Garza’s cover to THE FLASH #6, Cliff Chiang and Kevin Maguire’s covers to JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #10 and Frazer Irving’s creepy BATMAN AND ROBIN #15 look into the Joker’s innermost thoughts. Enjoy.

There aren’t many things I love as much – or more – than comics, aside from my friends and family. Music is one of those things. Whether it’s discovering a new artist and wearing out their album, catching a show in the city or shuffling through my own music archives to find that perfect track for a mix CD, music is something that’s constantly on my mind. If you’re foolish enough to follow me on Twitter, you know this. Heck, I’m probably listening to some music right now.

So, the idea of mixing my two passions – comics and music – together not only sounds good on paper, but in reality. DC Comics has produced a number of amazing books, televisions series, cartoons and more over the last 75 years. But never before have all the essential sounds and songs from these shows been collected in one place. Well, now they have.

It starts in 1941, with the theme to the classic Fleischer Superman cartoons and moves through the years, including shows and movies like BATMAN, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, LOIS & CLARK, BATMAN BEYOND, SMALLVILLE, THE BATMAN and a ton more, all on one compact disc – with 21 of the 31 tracks available for the first time ever.

The collection, which hits stores later this year, is a must-buy for any fan of DC Comics and it’s various television, film and cartoon interpretations. Scroll down for the track listing and album art. I know I’ll be popping my copy in once it arrives.

The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection

1. Superman March - Sammy Timberg (1941)
-Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Academy Award Nominated cartoon series “Superman” produced by Max Fleischer. This was the first Superman cartoon.

2. Theme From Superman (Album Version) - John Williams (1978)
- From the live-action film “Superman.” Digitally remastered.

3. The New Adventures of Superman - John Gart (1966)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The New Adventures of Superman.”

4. Lois and Clark / The New Adventures of Superman - Jay Gruska (1993)
- From the live-action TV Series “Lois and Clark”. Digitally remastered.

5. The Adventures of Superboy - John Gart(1966)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Superboy.”

6. Superboy - Kevin Kiner (1988)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Superboy.”

7. Smallville Season 8 (End Title) - Louis Febre (2008)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Smallville.”

8. Batman: The Electrical Brain - Lee Zahler (1943)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action serial “The Batman.” This was the first filmed appearance of Batman.

9. The Batman Theme (Album Version) - Danny Elfman (1989)
- From the live-action film “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

10. The Adventures of Batman - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Batman.”

11. Batman TV Series Theme - Neal Hefti (1966)
-From the live-action TV series “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

12. Batman: The Brave and the Bold - Andy Sturmer (2008)
-From the cartoon “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. Digitally remastered.

13. Batman Beyond - Kristopher Lee (1999)
-From the cartoon “Batman Beyond”. Digitally remastered.

14. Molossus from Batman Begins - Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard (2005)
-From the live-action film “Batman Begins”. Digitally remastered.

15. Justice League of America - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Justice League of America.”

16. Super Friends - Hoyt Curtin (1973)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “SuperFriends.”

17. The All New Super Friends Hour - Hoyt Curtin (1977)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The All-New SuperFriends Hour.”

18. Justice League Unlimited - Michael McCuistion (2004)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the cartoon “Justice League Unlimited.”

19. Legends of the Superheroes - Fred Wener (1979)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV special “Legends of the Superheroes.”

20. The Teen Titans - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Teen Titans.”

21. Aquaman - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Aquaman.”

22. Swamp Thing - Christopher Stone (1991)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV show “Swamp Thing: The Series.”

23. Shazam! - Norman Prescott & Yvette Blais (1974)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Shazam!”

24. The Flash - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Flash.”

25. Green Lantern - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Green Lantern.”

26. Green Lantern First Flight - Robert J Kral (2009)
-From the animated movie “Green Lantern: First Flight.” Digitally remastered.

27. The Atom - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Atom.”

28. Hawkman - John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Hawkman.”

29. Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show - Dean Elliott (1979)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Ruby-Spears cartoon “The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show.”

30. Wonder Woman The Animated Movie End Title - Christopher Drake (2009)
-From the animated movie “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.

31. Wonder Woman - Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel (1976)
-From the live-action TV series “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.