Well, that’s a wrap, folks. At least for now. Thanks for spending time with us as we roll out part of our plans for the coming year. It’s been a busy and exciting few days here in Source-land, as you can probably imagine. So, why not take a moment to look over some of the major press hits spinning out of “DCU in 2010,” shall we?

• AIN’T IT COOL NEWS spoke to writers Geoff Johns and J. Michael Straczynski about their respective EARTH ONE OGNs, while NEWSARAMA caught up with artists Gary Frank and Shane Davis for their take.

• TIME’s TECHLAND blog cornered Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson to talk about the WAR OF THE SUPERMEN event slated to hit the DCU next year.

• BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE writer Grant Morrison sat down with USA TODAY’s John Geddes to discuss the time-hopping adventures of Mr. Wayne.

• AOL COMICS ALLIANCE lead blogger Laura Hudson talked to incoming BATMAN AND ROBIN artist Andy Clarke and Batman Group Editor Michael Marts about the series and Clarke’s upcoming stint.

• MTV’s SPLASH PAGE blog cornered writer Marc Guggenheim about his upcoming ACTION COMICS gig.

• After showing off some lovely Francis Manapul Barry Allen art, his partner on the book, writer Geoff Johns, talked to Geoff Boucher from LA TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX blog.

• COMIC BOOK RESOURCES talked to both Dan DiDio and LEGACIES writer Len Wein about the upcoming 10-issues series spanning the history of the DC Universe.

• IGN closed out the week with a chat with incoming GREEN ARROW writer J.T. Krul about the Rise of Arsenal and more.

Quiet week, eh? Note my sarcasm. Before I sign off and let you all enjoy your weekend, I want to give a quick thanks to all the readers for stopping by this week and visiting with The Source. Hopefully you’ll stick around in the coming weeks. Because, as I noted above, this week’s rollout is only part of what we have in store for you in 2010. Have a great weekend, folks.

Hey, Dan DiDio here with special edition Digital DC Nation. And if you’ve been following The Source all this week you’ve gotten your first glimpses of the post Blackest Night DC Universe and a sneak peek as some the amazing stories and books we have planned for the 2010.

You’ve heard from Grant Morrison as he gave hints to the whereabouts of Bruce Wayne (possibly one of the wildest Batman stories ever to be told), while Group Editor Matt Idelson confirmed that Clark Kent will return to his famous costume just in time to enter into a WAR OF SUPERMEN (the culmination of over three years of Superman story telling) and have Marc Guggenheim join the writing team. And rounding out the trinity, I finally got to tell you the outcome to the Wonder Woman postcard campaign (and yes, issue 600 is heading your way in June).

Francis Manapul debuted samples of art that we feel catapults The Flash into the new millennium and master creator Len Wein encapsulated his plans for the narrative recounting of the history of the DC Universe in DC: LEGACIES. But like I said in the opening, if you have been following along on The Source, you know we didn’t stop there!

You also learned that the stunning events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE go directly into the aptly titled one shot JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL which then gives way to the two major storylines THE FALL OF GREEN ARROW (in his ongoing series) and the RISE OF ARSENAL (in his own mini series), all of which, should not be missed!

And capping it all off, we were intensely proud to announce the new Earth One series of original graphic novels. Joe Stracynski and Shane Davis on Superman and Geoff Johns and Gary Frank on Batman, a great start to what I hope will be a great line of books.

So there you have it, your first look into what’s in store for DC Comics for 2010. I hope you are as excited about all this as we are.

Oh… what’s that you say?

What happens at the end of Blackest Night?

Sorry folks. Not. Just. Yet.

So enjoy the egg nog and pop open the champagne, we’ll be back with more in January, and then, all, or at least most of, your questions will be answered.

From all of us to all of you, thank you, as always for your continued support, and have the happiest of holidays.

To be continued….

DD

Take a minute to process that amazing piece of Mauro Cascioli art. Ok. Done? Let’s go.

If you’ve been following JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE, then you know some major events have been shaking up Green Arrow and his supporting cast’s status. Specifically, Red Arrow finding himself one arm short of a pair.

What happens when a hero has a fateful decision to make? And how can another hero rebuild his world after a life-altering tragedy?

Both ideas are explored in two special books hitting in March, both written by J.T. Krul: JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL #1, which bridges the gap between JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA  and the upcoming JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL four-issue mini-series. Concurrently, readers of the ongoing GREEN ARROW series will deal with the fallout in a storyline titled “The Fall of Green Arrow,” starting with issue #31.

What happened? Who’s to blame? What does this mean for the Emerald Archer and his former sidekick? We don’t know, but we can shine the spotlight on Mr. Krul for a sec to share a few thoughts. Take it away, J.T.:

“I was super fortunate to be able to play a role in BLACKEST NIGHT, and I have to say I’m even more excited — if that’s possible — about being able to take on Roy Harper and Green Arrow as their stories spill out of Cry For Justice. James has been building to a monster climax in his book, and no two characters will be as changed as much as Roy and Ollie. And, the story isn’t even over yet. The title RISE and FALL says it all in terms of where these characters are headed. It’s going to be a dark and tragic road for both them and I’m hoping readers will be hooked by where Ollie and Roy come out in the end.”

And, because we’re all about giving you guys a tad more than usual this week, check out IGN’s interview with Krul.

We’re backing up the truck and unloading a ton of good stuff this week, and cool pieces of art are aplenty. Case in point? The cover to JSA ALL STARS #4, by Freddie E. Williams II, who’s really pulling out all the stops on the relatively new series. Take a look for yourself:

Pretty cool, huh? That’s about all the insight I can provide. What can I say? It’s been a long week. Thankfully, we have Matthew Sturges, writer of JSA ALL STARS, on hand to give us his two cents. Take it away, Matt:

“When I saw Freddie’s cover for JSA All-Stars #4, I begged Alex to let us put it up early. For one thing, it’s got Sand on it. Sand is one of my favorite JSAers, and he’s been due for a resurgence for quite some time. Well, that resurgence begins in issue four. For another thing, unfortunately, it looks like someone else from the JSA’s past is resurging behind him. That can’t be good.”

See Matt? Wishes can come true.

Yesterday, we pointed you toward our Facebook DC NATION page to get a first look at two, very cool Batman-related images. But, since not everyone is a Facebook member, we’re posting both images right here for your perusal.

How ’bout that Frank Quitely, huh? These are the covers for BATMAN AND ROBIN #9 and #10, prior to coloring, of course. But before you close your window and head home for the day, stick around for one more cool cover debut…

The DC Universe is about legacies. The Golden Age. The Silver Age. The Bronze Age. Heroes passing on mantles to their protégés. Teachers and students. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. In the DCU, the sense of family and history is part of the very fiber of the universe.

One of my earliest comic book memories as a kid was when my dad took me to the comic shop for the first time and bought me a copy of THE GREATEST FLASH STORIES EVER TOLD. I remember huddling in my room (you’d think I’d be outside, enjoying the Miami sun – but that’s neither here nor there) with the bright yellow book, featuring three generations of speedsters hurtling toward me, and being drawn into a world of lightning speed, chemicals and science, secret gorilla nations, colorful villains who wielded mirrors and boomerangs and a stand-up guy named Barry Allen, who loved his wife Iris and his nephew Wally. Barry was also the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive. He didn’t have the same funny hat as the guy before him, nor was he as grim as the Batman or as strong as Superman, but something about him stuck. He was someone to look up to.

And then there was Wally – a kid relatively my age who had amazing powers and was learning from his idol. Reading Cary Bates’ heartbreaking “Death of the Flash” synopsis toward the end of the collection was both shocking and uplifting – Barry died saving the universe, but his sidekick took over. The student became the teacher.

This is what the DCU is built on – heroes trying to live up to the legacies their predecessors have created, and in the process, creating new ones of their own. Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Green Lantern. The Flash. The Justice Society. The Justice League. The Legion of Super-Heroes. Hawkman. The Atom. I could go on, but you get what I’m saying here.

And, as we enter the next decade of the 21st century, the DCU is going to take a moment to celebrate its rich and legendary history.

First up is LEGACIES, a 10-part mini-series kicking off in May from writer Len Wein and an all-star cast of artists. Each issue will spotlight a different era from the history of the DCU in two stories, with each issue moving us closer to the present. Who’s up first artistically, tackling the birth of the DCU and the beginnings of the mystery men and the Golden Age? None other than Andy Kubert and his father Joe Kubert, who’ve built their very own comic book legacy. It’s only fitting, right? I would think so. Plus, you get a story illustrated by none other than J.G. Jones, as each issue will feature backups with art by some of the biggest names in the industry. Here’s a clue as to Len’s perspective on the series, from his first interview:

“Legacies is the history of the DCU as told from the point of view of the man on the street. It starts at the dawn of the Golden Age and right now it runs right up to the moments before Countdown to Infinite Crisis begins.”

“Being asked to work on these historic and iconic characters is an honor,” said Andy Kubert. “Being asked to work with the creators involved — that I grew up reading…and got RAISED by — is not only an honor, but awe inspiring.”

Well said, guys. Swing by COMIC BOOK RESOURCES in a bit to read more from Dan DiDio and Wein on LEGACIES.

But there’s more. Dan DiDio’s teased this here and there, but we can now officially confirm that in tandem with LEGACIES, we’ll also be publishing new editions of THE HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE and an all-new WHO’S WHO 15-issue series, profiling some of the best and lesser-known characters populating the DC Universe.

And while the DCU in 2010 will be very much about pushing our most beloved characters into new worlds and to face new challenges, there’s a lot to be said about tipping your hat to the past, and the legacy of those that came before.

If you’re a regular Source reader, you know that while we love talking the talk, we know when to step back and let a piece of art speak for itself. This is one of those instances.

Not too long ago, we announced that Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul were taking the reins of the new FLASH ongoing series next year. We also showed a few in-progress pieces of the character, too. But we haven’t shown any final, colored, 100-percent Barry Allen Flash images. Until now, that is.

Behold, the cover to FLASH: SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS, hitting in March 2010, a nice little appetizer before the epic meal that will be the FLASH ongoing. We’ll have more details on the issue in due time, but let’s focus on what you see above – this wonderful cover. We roped in Manapul to give us his two cents on the piece, and working on the Scarlet Speedster. Take it away, Francis:

“I’m excited to be starting the book. The entire creative team is looking forward to introducing new ways of portraying speed. It’s also cool that we’ll be introducing a new generation to Barry Allen as well as myself so I’ll be right in they’re shoes of getting to know this guy. It should be an exciting ride!”

Francis was also kind enough to give us a look into his process. Check out these two in-progress images.

For more on the upcoming FLASH series from writer Geoff Johns, click over to THE LA TIMES HERO COMPLEX blog, where Geoff Boucher sits down with a fellow Geoff to talk about the book.

If you’ve been paying attention to this blog at all over the last week, you’ve probably figured out that 2010 is gonna be a big year for the Man of Steel. THE WAR OF THE SUPERMEN will kick off on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and that’s only the opening silo in an epic battle that will change Superman’s status quo.

Part of the sea change hitting the SUPERMAN titles begins next summer, as ACTION COMICS welcomes writer Marc Guggenheim as the new, regular writer. Guggenheim, as most of you know, has a slew of television and film credits, not to mention work on comics, including FLASH. But what’s his take on Superman going to be like? Well, don’t ask us. Ask Marc:

“One of my earliest memories was reading — not even reading, just looking at the pictures, actually, as I was too young to read –
Action Comics. It’s an enormous thrill and a humbling thing to write a comic you literally grew up reading. When D.C. called, I understood how President Obama must have felt when the Nobel Committee called him. Now I just have to work hard not to screw it up.”

Sounds ominous – but when things are heading toward a WAR OF THE SUPERMEN, it’s not going to be rainbows and candy, is it?

For some more teases and clues on Guggenheim’s run, head on over to MTV’s SPLASH PAGE blog. And stay tuned to The Source. Believe me when I say there are more amazing announcements hitting in the next few days.

As 2009 comes to a close, a number of outlets are showcasing not only what was great from this year, but the last decade.

TIME’s TECHLAND blog just announced their best of the decade list,which includes writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely’s ALL STAR SUPERMAN among the luminaries. Ranked fourth on the list of 10, TECHLAND had this to say:

This 12 part series is officially must own for anyone that loves Big Blue. Written out of continuity with the rest of the DC Universe the series tells the story of Superman’s last year alive and is very new-reader friendly. It has a Golden Age feel with some very modern sensibilities. Quitely’s gorgeous art doesn’t hurt either. These two creators finally present a rendition of both Superman and Clark Kent that is at once refreshing and nostalgic.

Agreed on all counts. Congrats to all the winners.

Sure you do. We started a fire today, didn’t we? What with the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE sketches by Andy Kubert and lovely line art from Cameron Stewart and Andy Clarke. But there’s more.

I’d imagine anyone reading this blog is familiar with Facebook. And as our links sidebar shows, we have a DC NATION Facebook page. So, why not visit the page now to see just what new Batman art we might be teasing? Go on. Open a new window a tab. We’ll be here when you get back.

Done? Amazing, huh?

And if you’re not on Facebook, no worries. We’ll show off the images tomorrow, around this time.

And don’t forget to keep checking back all this week for some more exciting DCU in 2010 news.