DC Universe: The Source

On Tuesday, we showed you a prelim cover to OUTSIDERS #27, by Mr. Philip Tan. If you didn’t make with the click then, please do so now. I’ll wait. I have some emails to check and so forth.

OK, cool right? Well, we’ve got the inked cover for you to drool over now, too. See? Great things can get even better.

Not long ago, we showed you a few sketchbook pages from THE FIRST WAVE, featuring sketches from artist Rags Morales and notes from writer Brian Azzarello. But why stop at two when we’ve got plenty more?

Last time, we looked at the Batman through the eyes of Morales and Azzarello, as they show us a younger, more brash Dark Knight. Now, we put the spotlight squarely on the Man of Bronze and his cohorts. But don’t worry, we won’t stop there. Check back next week for more from the world of FIRST WAVE.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes bit of fun for all you Sourcers out there. As one of the most fun editorial tasks yet, I’ve spent the past two days running up and down the hall getting pictures of some of our editors. They all seem to be pretty scared of…something… Can’t be Halloween-related at this point, right? So what’s going on here?

For instance, here’s Mike Carlin and Rachel Gluckstern, looking very unhappy about whatever’s going on over Mike’s desk:

Maybe it’s the same thing that’s about to hit Harvey Richards in the head:

Janelle Siegel is doing a pretty good job keeping it at bay:

While Mike Marts isn’t so lucky – it’s coming right at him!

Sean Ryan and Wil Moss are doing the smart thing and high-tailing it out of here:

Which – oh, man – gives it a clear shot at me. Look out, me!

Welp, looks like it passed me by, considering I’m still here typing. And I think I know where it went – straight for Eddie Berganza and Adam Schlagman:

That’s gonna be trouble. As soon as we can actually see what it is, that is….

Until next time – wish us luck!

In the spirit of my favorite time of the year…here are a few things that scare me.

THE FLAMINGO. This guy has death and danger written all over him. He rides a motorcycle and rips people’s faces off for fun. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, he’s dressed head-to-toe in pink. What’s not to be afraid of? If Batman & Robin thought they had their hands full with Red Hood & Scarlet, well, they haven’t seen anything yet. Check out the Flamingo in all of his pink and face-ripping glory in BATMAN & ROBIN #6.

TONY DANIEL. This guy scares me. True, he’s one of DC’s exclusive artists. He’s also one of my good friends. But he still scares me. Why? Because he’s a double-threat. Not only can he draw circles around anyone holding a pencil, but this guy can write, as well! In case you didn’t already know, Tony’s both writing and illustrating the current arc of BATMAN, which runs from #692-697. Will Tony reveal who’s under the Black Mask in this storyline? (Hint: I wouldn’t be teasing it, unless he was.)

BLACK MASK. His true identity scares me. Stay tuned.

WHITE GHOST. Sure, he has a name that sounds like a discounted Halloween costume, but this right-hand-man of Ra’s al Ghul is scary because he appears in not one, but two Batman titles this month–RED ROBIN #6 and AZRAEL #2

The PHILLIES don’t scare me.

MARCUS TO. Have you seen this guy’s art? Incredi–I mean, scary. Marcus debuts as RED ROBIN’s new regular artist this month, and I can’t tell you how excited we are about this. We’ve seen several complete issues of art from Marcus already, and each one gets better and better! Welcome aboard, Marcus!

Till next time, Stay Scary.

What is MILESTONE FOREVER, you ask? Well, we can take a guess, but why slow down the process? Since it’s part and parcel of what we do, being The Source and all, we talked to Milestone founder and MILESTONE FOREVER writer Dwayne McDuffie for the scoop on the new project, along with some essential back story to bring you newbies up to speed. Take it away, Dwayne:

16 years ago this month, industry giant DC Comics and upstart Milestone Media entered into an unprecedented creative partnership, producing 14 interlocking, creator-owned titles including Hardware, Icon, and the multimedia hit that would best be known as Static Shock. The story Milestone chose to tell was an audacious one, larger than life on its surface, character and story-driven at its base, Humanist and multicultural at its heart. For over 250 issues, fans explored a superhero universe like no other.

Today, nine Parents Choice awards, four Eisner Award nominations and one Emmy and Humanitas award-winning hit TV series later, Milestone is back, its continuity mysteriously merged with the DCU. While we saw the DC side of the story in “Justice League: When Worlds Collide,” Milestone Forever gathers the original artists from Milestone’s launch titles: John Paul Leon, Mark Bright, Chris Cross and Milestone Founder Denys Cowan, to complete the tales told in the original runs of STATIC SHOCK, ICON, HARDWARE, SHADOW CABINET and BLOOD SYNDICATE. Milestone Editor in Chief Dwayne McDuffie reveals the final fate of each of Milestone’s launch characters in a bittersweet tale that chronicles the literal end of a universe, and the birth of something new, with major consequences for the future of the DC Universe.

The all-new ongoing series starts here, as a new spin off of the Justice Society struggles to pull itself together after a devastating split. Thew’s a new base, new methods, new villains and a frighteningly familiar face. Join writer Matthew Sturges and artist Freddie Williams II as they craft the latest chapter in the legacy of the Justice Society of America. Can’t wait until 12/2? Well, what a nice coincidence that we have the first five pages right here to gear you up.

We’re gonna go light on the commentary here, mainly because this stuff can A) speak for itself and B) is amazing. From the desk of writer Brian Azzarello, with amazing art from Rags Morales, prepare to enter the world of FIRST WAVE…

But that’s not all, folks. We’ve got a ton more sketches and info from Azz and Rags, so check back to learn more about Doc Savage and the other characters — some familiar, some not — populating the world of FIRST WAVE.

The dysfunctional family reunion continues for Red Tornado as Red Inferno joins the party. Can he survive working with his “sister” Red Torpedo long enough to find their deadly elemental brothers? Or are these four siblings doomed to be destroyed before they learn the real truth behind their existence? More android family fun from writer Kevin VanHook and artist José Luis.

RED TORNADO #3 hits today.

Deadshot takes center stage, in a special issue from legendary SUICIDE SQUAD writer John Ostrander and artist Jim Calafiore. He’s always been a killer, but now the urge to kill everyone is threatening to take him over completely. Can the mercenary pull himself out of these murderous depths? Or will he drown in the murky waters of his own addiction to death? Get a taste in the pages below.

SECRET SIX #15 hits today.

Nice, huh? Who are Mudslide and Dust Devil? And what disasters do they have planned for the Outsiders?