As Roy Harper lies in critical condition after the events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE his fever dreams show him the perfect future life he wants for the Titans. Unfortunately for him, it’s a life the Titans will never see. Featuring the work of guest writer Eddie Berganza and artists Scott Clark and Ardian Syaf.

TITANS #23 hits 3/17.

This past Saturday, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation took a moment to honor writer Greg Rucka and artists J.H. Williams III and Cully Hamner’s work on DETECTIVE COMICS’ Batwoman by naming the book the year’s “Outstanding Comic Book” at their 21st Media Awards, held in New York City.

A description of the awards, from the GLAAD site: “The GLAAD Media Awards elevate and promote fair, accurate and inclusive stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, people and allies that have increased awareness, understanding and respect for the lives of LGBT people. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues that build support for equality.”

Congratulations to Greg, J.H. and the entire team behind Batwoman’s adventures for this much-deserved honor.

Last week, you got a first look at Rags Morales’ interpretation of “The Bat-Man” in the pages of FIRST WAVE. Today, we’ve got a first look at superstar artist John Cassaday’s cover to DOC SAVAGE #1, written by Paul Malmont with interiors by Howard Porter, hitting 4/14.

Pretty nice, huh? But it doesn’t stop there. We’ll have more to say and show in relation to Mr. Cassaday in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Not a lot I need to add here, beyond — wow.

We talked to the man responsible for this great piece of Bat-art. Take it away, David:

“Batman is such an iconic character and I’ve been a huge fan for so long that it was a surreal and amazing experience to draw him officially for the first time. I really have to thank Mike Marts for letting me be a part of such an important mile stone in the history of this book.”

Thanks, David! And because it’s Friday — here are the pencils to that jaw-dropping cover.

A series doesn’t get to #700 every day, so this is a moment to be celebrate — and watched. BATMAN #700 hits in June, the same month as SUPERMAN #700 and WONDER WOMAN #600.

It’s been a Batman kind-of-day, and will continue to be, as we’ve got a major art debut later today.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall well? We’ve got a major art debut to show right now.

Some of you savvy Twitter-folk may have noticed Assistant Editor Chris Conroy discussing what a great Batman FIRST WAVE pencil piece artist Rags Morales had just sent him during the first-ever #DCreader Twitter event, which allowed fans to read FIRST WAVE #1 along with Jim Lee and Geoff Johns. Well, we did the predictable and begged him to let us show it here on The Source.

And here we are.

Tony Daniel knows. In a little under a week, so will you. The true identity of Gotham City’s new crimelord is finally revealed in BATMAN #697 and that identity will surprise everybody – especially Batman. And after the final showdown between Black Mask and The Dark Knight, will things ever be the same for Kittyhawk and the Reaper?

BATMAN #697 hits 3/17.

I’m not much of a mind reader, but I’m pretty sure some of you were wondering this while reading the first issue of LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON: What is Pete Woods doing next?

Well, he’s doing two more issues of LAST STAND, that’s a given. And those’ll be a treat, brought to you by the writing team of Sterling Gates and James Robinson, and a perfect lead-in to the “100-Minute War” that’s kicking off in WAR OF THE SUPERMEN.

And, starting in June, Mr. Woods will be joining new writer Marc Guggenheim as the regular artist on ACTION COMICS. Pete’s done a spectacular job chronicling Kal-El’s adventures on New Krypton, so it was a no-brainer to have him swing on over to one of the ongoing titles. But what does he have to say about it all? Take it away, Pete:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Marc on Action Comics. I also feel incredibly blessed to have David Finch doing covers- I have
been a fan for years. Marc and I have some fun plans for this book and intend for it to live up to it’s name!”

Oh, and we have some art to show, of course. Here are a few pages from the next issue of LAST STAND.

And if you’re going to be in the Seattle area this weekend, make sure to say hello to Pete, who’ll be at the Emerald City show as well.

But that’s not all we have to talk about here. In addition to Woods coming on board as the regular artist, ACTION COMICS will also be sporting a new cover artist in superstar David Finch, who kicks off his run with this menacing look at Lex Luthor.

The best thing about the co-features that’s we’ve been doing is that we get to give characters and creators a chance to shine that schedules and availability might otherwise prevent. As the excellent Ravager feature in Teen Titans started to wind down, the need to find a new one with an entirely new voice arose. Fortunately, my esteemed colleague Rex Ogle had one in development, and it was an instant get. Take three magical teens of the DC Universe and throw them against each other, add demonic meddling and conflicting motivations, and you have a recipe for a story that is both high adventure and deep personal struggles. All we needed was an artist, and I knew just the one. Ted Naifeh (COURTNEY CRUMRIN, DEATH JR.) and I have been taking for a while now about doing a project together, and it was my pleasure to bring him aboard for something that so clearly played to all of his strengths.

But enough of my yapping. Let’s see what the talented team of Ogle and Naifeh have to say!

Rachel Gluckstern: Rex, what was your inspiration for Coven? And why did you pick these characters in particular to work with?

Rex Ogle: Inspiration came easy with Coven. I’ve always been drawn to stories of fantasy and magic. Magic touches on the most important, and darkest, things underlying our world. Plus, I love DCU’s heroes and villains in all their forms, but what I noticed missing was a group of darker teenagers. The JSA kids and the Teen Titans always have this happy, positive outlook‹and of course they do, they have each other! But what about kids who have these amazing powers, and have to deal with their hardships alone?

As for Coven’s cast, I love Traci 13 and Black Alice. Each is so intensely unique and powerful, and hello, witches! Both ladies and Zach Zatara have all this potential for great stories, but they’ve taken a backseat because I think it’s hard to write about magic. You want to say, “Aww, man, look, she’s a witch, so she can do anything,” but what I want to do is teach these kids about what it means to play with the fabric of the universe. When it comes to magic, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

RG: Ted, what attracted you to the project?

Ted Naifeh: I’ve always had an interest in the occult side of the superhero world, ever since I started reading Swamp Thing back in the eighties. Gosh, that’s ancient history now. But it opened a world of pulpy dark magic that I wanted to see more of.

The other thing I like about these characters is that they’re not costumed heroes in the traditional sense. I find that costumes can sometimes be a drag. To start with, what girl would wear the same exact look day in day out for years on end? That’s what I love about Black Alice. Her look changes from scene to scene. Endless possibilities. Zach wears a tux, and Traci just wears street clothes. In short, they wear outfits rather than costumes, which offer more variety.

RG: What do you hope the readers take away from it?

TN: I’m always drawn to stories that speak to the isolation of adolescence. As Rex commented, the Titans have each other. These characters are utterly alone, a feeling I suspect comics readers can relate to. The Titans shows us where we want to be. I think The Coven speaks more to where we are. I hope readers can take away the understanding that they’re not alone in being alone. For what it’s worth.

RG: And Rex, how about you? What do you hope readers take away from the Coven?

RO: First and foremost, I want them to enjoy the story. The best way to do that is to touch on something all of us understand: the unfairness of life. We’ve all had those moments where we feel alone and wish we could change something in our lives. But what I want Traci and Alice and Zach to realize, and maybe our readers, is that the universe deals us a hand, and we have to play it. Wishing things were different never helped anybody. Even witches apparently.

The Coven starts running in Teen Titans #83, and it’s going to be an excellent read. Be there!

Tim Drake’s had a rough year, to say the least.

Struggling with a new identity, searching for the mentor only he believes is actually alive and tangled up with Ra’s Al Ghul and his deadly League of Assassins — not exactly a recipe for long-term health, y’know?

Well, things aren’t going to get any easier. Starting with June’s RED ROBIN #13, writer Fabian Nicieza will step in as the new regular writer, joining series artist Marcus To for what will certainly prove to be an extension of the wild ride Red Robin’s been on so far.

Wait, you want details? Well, sure. Let’s check in with the new writer himself. Take it away, Fabian:

“It feels great to be back on Red Robin for the first time! Having the opportunity to close out Tim Drake’s Robin series was bittersweet. He’s a character I’ve always wanted to write, but it was a tumultuous, dark time for him and I was writing the book knowing the series would end and evolve into Red Robin.

“I was reading Chris Yost’s first year on the series with jealous admiration in that he was doing a great job, getting to work with an excellent young artist in Marcus To and getting to move Tim through the darkness into a better place as a way of natural story evolution!

“To unexpectedly get the chance to come back at this time, with Tim Drake in a more positive place mentally, stepping into his own as a young adult and better prepared to develop his own distinctive approach to crimefighting — both in Gotham City and across the world — only means the hundreds of stories I’ve always wanted to tell with the character now number in the thousands!

“What lies ahead? Adventure, mystery, complex moral issues, an evolving rogue’s gallery specific to the character, romantic triangles (maybe quadrangles!), fun and humor all ripe for the picking! I can’t wait for readers to see this excellent character’s continuing development into something unique and special in the DC Universe!”

Bat-editor Mike Marts was also kind enough to sneak us a look at the cover to the issue, from the aforementioned Mr. To.

It’s that time again, folks.

We had such a fun time talking FIRST WAVE #1 on Twitter last week that it was a no-brainer to do it again. This time, there are two issues on the table: Writer Grant Morrison and new artist Andy Clarke’s BATMAN AND ROBIN #10 and the JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL SPECIAL, by writer J.T. Krul and artists Diogenes Neves, Mike Mayhew and Fabrizio Fiorentino.

So here’s the deal: Swing by your local comic shop, pick up those two comics (and anything else that strikes your fancy) and sign in to Twitter today at 6:30pm EST to chat with Jim Lee and Geoff Johns about the issues as we all read ‘em together. Don’t have a Twitter account? No worries. Signing up is easy.

And don’t forget to hashtag your posts with “#DCreader” to help everyone keep tabs on the conversation.

See you then!