Deadman. Hawkman. Hawkgirl. Reverse-Flash. Maxwell Lord. Captain Boomerang. Aquaman. Firestorm. Martian Manhunter. Hawk. Osiris. Jade.

They’re back — for a reason.

This isn’t a time for words to adorn the pictures. Let’s get right to the preview, courtesy of the superstar team of Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi and artist Fernando Pasarin (along with those lovely covers from David Finch and Ivan Reis).

As we mentioned here yesterday, we’ll be giving away five signed copies of THE FLASH #1 each day via the DC NATION Twitter feed. All you need to do is sign up for Twitter (if you haven’t already), follow DC NATION and wait for the question. If you’re one of the first five to answer the day’s question correctly, you win.

Also, if you’re the first winner on Friday, not only do you get a copy of THE FLASH #1 signed by writer Geoff Johns, but you also get the script to the first issue, signed as well. Double win!

Getting the jitters waiting outside your LCS for THE FLASH #1 to hit? Fear not, gang. We’re here to help. Below are the first five pages we unveiled in this very space not long ago. See you in the Twitterverse…

I always liked the Atom.

Ray Palmer’s alter-ego captivated my imagination when I was younger. I guess from a visual perspective, his tiny figure amongst the superheroic statures of Superman and Batman just looked cool. And that this little dude stood in the company of the big guns really impressed me.

I probably sometimes envied that he could shrink down into his own tiny atomic-sized world, like I wished I could do sometimes to escape the various trials of childhood like playground bullies or schoolwork. Instead, I escaped into the stories of comic books. What’s funny is that now I get paid for it!

Come July, I’m very proud to be editing a story that provides us a new look at Ray Palmer, beginning with the one-shot BRIGHTEST DAY: THE ATOM #1. Spiraling out of our next major event, writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) worked with the BRIGHTEST DAY crew and myself to really take a microscope to Ray’s early life and show how certain key events led a nerdy science whiz to the unlikely life of a superhero. And the stuff that Jeff came up with really impressed me. It’s a story worthy of Ray Palmer.

Throughout this issue, we get reacquainted with old friends and meet new ones, as well as a new enemy that only the Atom could possibly do battle with. The art will be done by a fantastic newcomer to DC, Mahmud Asrar (Dynamo 5). Mahmud will visualize some really dynamic tricks Jeff has come up with to make Atom’s fighting style thoroughly unique.

From this one-shot, Atom’s story will continue as a co-feature in ADVENTURE COMICS #516, hitting stores a couple weeks later in July. And it’s there that Jeff and Mahmud really get on a roll.

In fact, this story excites me so much that I now like the Atom even more!

I think you will, too.

BC

Thanks, Brian! And gang — how ’bout that Gary Frank cover above, huh?

I know what you’re thinking — “Didn’t they just announce a new ACTION COMICS writer?” Well, we did. But stuff has changed and we’ll get to that in one second.

Firstly, starting in June, HUGO award-nominated writer Paul Cornell will join interior artist Pete Woods and cover artist David Finch on ACTION COMICS. Cornell comes to DC with a very shiny resume, including work as a novelist and in comics and television — notably, for the Dr. Who series. Cornell steps in at a critical point for our hero, coming out of THE WAR OF THE SUPERMEN. So, what does he have in store? Well, let’s ask him. Take it away, Paul:

“I’m proud and honored to be taking on such a historic title. It’s particularly great to begin by featuring Lex Luthor, who’s always been one of my favourite characters. So many legendary creators have written this title in the past that I’m giddy and frankly terrified at the prospect of following in their footsteps.”

And who wouldn’t be psyched to work with artists like Woods and Finch? As you can see from the Luthor image above by Mr. Finch and the Woods images below, ACTION promises to earn its title in spades.

But what of Marc Guggenheim, who we announced as the new ACTION writer a ways back? Well, we swung by Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson’s office for some info. Matt?

“I’m very bummed to be missing out on this chance to work with Marc who I think would have kicked some serious butt on ACTION. The story he pitched began to evolve into something quite different, something Marc knew would be great, but he had concerns about whether he was the man to write this tale. Rather than do a disservice to the book, the readers and himself, Marc decided to step away from ACTION, and we both know that sometime in the future, we’ll be collaborating on Superman for sure.

“With Guggs out of the picture, there was only one person to turn to, one writer who could bring this book to those Guggian heights while still making it his own—Paul Cornell. Shockingly, he accepted the challenge. In the short time we’ve been working together, his enthusiasm has blown me away!

Happily, no sooner had Marc stepped off than another editor swooped in to work with Marc on a project that will be announced in the near future.”

So, wait — we get an ongoing ACTION COMICS series from Cornell, Woods and Finch and a top-secret Guggenheim series? Sold.

Stay tuned to THE SOURCE for more on what’s next for Marc, and for some more upcoming SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS art.

The BRIGHTEST DAY is almost here, and to keep you sated with cool, fresh art, we’ve got two covers that’ll be hitting stores later this month.

First up is the variant cover to JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #44, from painter David Mack:

And next is a first look at GREEN LANTERN CORPS #47′s regular cover, from artist Patrick Gleason:

As promised last month, this week’s your chance to win a signed copy of THE FLASH #1, featuring the stellar work of writer Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. What do you need to do? Well, it’s simple, really.

Starting today and until Friday, DC NATION’s Twitter account will be asking one Flash-related question a day. The first five fans who answer the question correctly will be eligible to win a signed copy of one of DC’s biggest new launches of 2010. Think you’re an expert in all things Flash? Well, get ready to have your Scarlet Speedster knowledge tested, pal. Not only will I be bringing my years of Flash fandom to the task at hand, but I’ve enlisted the writer of THE FLASH himself, Mr. Geoff Johns to help me in crafting questions that will will be far from simple.

And, as an added bonus, the first winner on Friday will not only get a signed copy of THE FLASH #1, but a signed copy of THE SCRIPT to #1, courtesy of Mr. Johns himself. And if you’re at all familiar with Geoff, you know getting your hands on one of his scripts is pretty, pretty difficult.

Don’t have a Twitter account? Signing up is easy. Once that’s done, take a moment to start following DC NATION, THE FLASH writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul.

So, click below for the rules. See you there!

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As promised, a look at the myriad new characters that popped up in the pages of BATMAN AND ROBIN, from the creators themselves. Have a great weekend, folks.

NEW CHARACTERS

PROFESSOR PYG

Pyg, along with his mind-controlled killer Dollotrons, had appeared briefly as a crucified, upside-down corpse in issue #666 of my BATMAN run with artist Andy Kubert. I didn’t think I’d use him or any of the other characters mentioned in the story – Max Roboto, Candyman, Loveless, Jackanapes, the Weasel and Flamingo – again, although I’d concocted detailed backstories for all of them. Some things, however, tend to take on a life of their own, and it became impossible to keep a bad Pyg down.

Pyg’s name is derived from the song “Pygmalism,” as written by Nick Currie (recorded by Kahimi Karie on her Tilt CD and also by Currie’s alter ego Momus on the CD Folktronic). The name refers, of course, to the Greek myth in which the sculptor Pygmalion falls in love with a statue of a woman he has carved, which is then brought to life by the goddess Aphrodite. Pygmalion is the name of the play by George Bernard Shaw which inspired the musical My Fair Lady and which tells the tale of Professor Henry Higgins, who makes a bet that he can transform Eliza Doolittle, a uneducated Cockney flower seller, into a convincingly well-spoken society lady as proof of Nurture’s superiority to Nature. Like Pygmalion, Higgins is creating his own ideal woman, and like Pygmalion he falls in love with her. The Currie song is from the point of view of the Professor’s latest “creation”-”sometimes in the night I sing the songs Professor Pig has taught me”-and brilliantly reconfigures Pygmalion as a story of mind control and rebellion.

Professor Pyg’s wardrobe recalls the Edwardian suits worn by Rex Harrison, who played Higgins alongside Audrey Hepburn’s Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 film version of My Fair Lady. Harrison, of course, also portrayed Doctor Dolittle, who could speak to animals. The attempt to dominate and redefine the feminine principle by forcing biology to conform to the artist’s will (“Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” sings the frustrated Higgins) suggested links to the “wire mother” experiments of Harry Harlow and backwards to the chaotic proto-mother mythologies of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia. The shattered mind of extreme circus performer Lazlo Valentin has mashed all these connections into a frightening personal mythos, constructed to justify his deranged activities as Professor Pyg.

THE CIRCUS OF STRANGE

With Dick Grayson’s origins as a circus aerialist, it felt right to pit him against a group of circus-themed villains in his first adventure as Batman. There have been circus criminals before, but rather than the traditional Ringling Brothers clowns and ringmasters, I imagined the Circus of Strange as an “extreme” troupe, more along the lines of the Jim Rose Circus.

The members of the Circus of Strange are all based on classic “freak show” archetypes – the lizard man, the bearded lady, the Siamese twins and… um… the man with his head on fire…

Mr. Toad – half man, half amphibian, all stud – is inspired by the character of the same name from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, right down to the opening “wild ride” in his odd car. Several Batman villains have been lifted from Lewis Carroll’s books, and the time seemed right to begin the plunder of another beloved children’s author.

Phosphorus Rex was mentioned previously in BATMAN #666. His skin combusts in the air. What else do you need to know?

Big Top was originally written and drawn as a more obviously feminine “bearded lady,” but it seemed rather ungallant, even for the Damian Wayne Robin, to administer the kind of beating he hands out to a woman, so we made Big Top look more masculine and referred to the character as “he”-all of which served only to compound his strange allure.

Siam was the kind of challenge Frank Quitely loves-conjoined kung fu triplets. When not hard at work on BATMAN AND ROBIN, Frank loves nothing more than to while away the hours drawing perfectly constructed anatomical grotesques-people with their torsos reversed so that their heads hang down between their legs, etc. He works out how they would sit, eat, play football or have sex, then draws them doing it. Siam was a breeze for him to draw after some of these creations, but the character design is still a technical masterpiece that fully justifies all those dedicated hours of life drawing classes. Look at the way the three lock together and provide momentum and balance for one another when they fight. No one but Frank could have drawn this villain.

OBERON “THE GRAVEDIGGER” SEXTON

Originally the character was called “Auberon Sexton,” but I changed the spelling to link the character to the King of the Fairies in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream both to underline the Englishness and also to amplify Sexton’s “mystery man” feel.

GOTHAM GANGSTERS

When the plot of BATMAN AND ROBIN #4 called for a meeting of several Gotham City crime bosses, nobody wanted to see another faceless crew of mob guys parked round a table. Although most of these characters would only hang around for a couple of pages, it was fun to give them names and a little bit of history, which may or may not be explored in future Batman stories.

Some of Batman’s rogues’ gallery – particularly the “face” villains like Two-Face, Clayface and False Face – were clearly inspired by Chester Gould’s distinctively grotesque bad guys from the Dick Tracy strip, so I decided to throw a couple of Gould-style hoods into the mix; hence the double-decker forehead of Romeo “High-Rise” Romero, as well as the vertical facial scars of “Aitch-Eyes.” The mob accountant Rodney Fidget suggested a minor Batman baddie from the Denny O’Neill ’70s or the Alan Grant ’90s. Gentleman-G Merriwether, slick in his Ozwald Boateng suit, was named for the makeover show From Gs to Gents while Neon Dragon Triad boss Tony Li has echoes of Hong Kong action cinema and Quentin Tarantino’s Crazy 88 gang from Kill Bill. Gabriel Santo – emissary of the enigmatic El Penitente himself – is wearing the hood and robe of the Penitente order of flagellant monks. Every one of these characters opens doors into potential stories.

FLAMINGO

Like Professor Pyg, Flamingo was another throwaway character from BATMAN #666 who came alive in my head and demanded to muscle his way into new stories.

One of the big influences on Batman-both in the real world where he was created as a character and in the fictional world of young Bruce Wayne-is Zorro, and the idea of going back to that primal root to create an “evil Zorro” as a new enemy for Batman seemed appropriate and overdue. So the briefly glimpsed Flamingo of BATMAN #666 became Eduardo Flamingo, lobotomized super-assassin for the shadowy Penitente cartel, with his own origin story, special abilities and motivations. Where Pyg is dementedly in love with the sound of his own voice, Flamingo first appears as an engine of pure Death and mayhem. There’s no discussion, no appeal with Flamingo. He is here to kill you and he will kill you. I loved the idea of a terrifying, amoral and brain-damaged monster who was still self-aware and style-conscious enough to dress in pink and choose as his emblem the graceful, ludicrous flamingo.

Another obvious inspiration for the look of Flamingo is the artist currently known once more as Prince-particularly as he appeared on the cover of his 1984 record Purple Rain. Don’t ask me why but Batman and Robin vs. Prince seemed to make perfect sense at the time.

-Grant Morrison
Los Angeles
November 2009

Happy Friday, Source gang. As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve been taking a moment to spotlight the stellar work of Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Philip Tan timed to the release of BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN. Well, we’ve saved two more posts for you to close out the week. First up, Grant and company discuss the process behind designing Batman and Robin. Come back later for a look at Quitely’s take on the collection of new characters that cropped up in the first six issues of the series.

THE DESIGNS

BATMAN & ROBIN

The new Batman and Robin first appeared in a flash-forward scene at the beginning of BATMAN #681, but artist Tony Daniel was asked to draw them in silhouette so as not to reveal any potential costume changes before they’d been approved. I’d suggested some major revisions, including a yellow bat symbol in a black circle – the reverse of the traditional chest shield – and a yellow and gray Robin outfit, derived from the uniform of the Earth-2 Robin from the 1960s.

Frank Quitely added his own touches, such as longer boots for Batman and a more articulated, plated hood, but in the end all of these redesigns were regarded as being too “off-model” for the characters and we settled on something a little more familiar.

THE BATMOBILE

We didn’t want our global warming/recession-era Batmobile to resemble the chrome-piped, gas-guzzling, Techno-Deco road leviathans of the past, so the Batmobile of 2009 was created to be compact and curvy. As you can see from Frank’s sketches, the new Batmobile comes fully equipped with hydraulic suspension, which enables it to assume various driving configurations.

The idea for the flying Batmobile in BATMAN AND ROBIN was suggested by this beautiful and exuberant Alex Ross sketch, done as a potential BATMAN cover in 2007.

THE RED HOOD AND SCARLET

The Red Hood is a venerable Bat-villain name. In 1951 The Hood was introduced as a mystery villain dressed in a tuxedo, a red cape and a red, reflective, pill-shaped dome helmet. The story revealed the unlucky man beneath the Red Hood to be a petty criminal who promptly fell into a vat of chemicals, only to emerge, vastly more famous, as Batman’s arch-enemy The Joker. The same story was, of course, woven into the flashback plotline of THE KILLING JOKE.

When a new version of the Red Hood appeared in Judd Winick’s “Under the Hood,” he was revealed to be the presumed-deceased second Robin, Jason Todd. A leather jacket and jeans replaced the dapper formal wear of the original, while the new red hood itself resembled a motorcycle helmet rather than a crimson bell jar.

We decided that Jason’s second attempt at anchoring the Red Hood identity in the public consciousness would be more self-consciously super-heroic – cape, tights, secret HQ, the lot. In his latest effort to get noticed, the former Boy Wonder would imitate more blatantly the basic look and M.O. of Batman, his mentor. The weird pill helmet and cape were brought back as a nod to the original design.

The brief for Scarlet was simple – an ersatz female Robin whose beautiful young face was hidden beneath a shriveled mask of horror.

For obvious reasons, it’s been a very heavy week here at The Source when it comes to BATMAN AND ROBIN. Can’t have too much of a good thing, huh?

As most of you know, the first collection of Grant Morrison’s epic BATMAN AND ROBIN series hit this week, featuring the first six issues created in tandem with artists Frank Quitely and Philip Tan. The first few reviews have begun to trickle in and the consensus is what you’d expect for a book written by Morrison: Very positive.

And you’ve been reading “BATMAN REDRAWN” here on the blog, right? Our behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the book? Well, expect two more such posts hitting today.

“But what about winning a copy of the book, Alex? It’s in the headline!” Oh, I know. This is what they call “building tension.” Or so I tell myself.

Later today, the DC NATION Twitter feed will be asking you, the fans, a question directly tying into the BATMAN AND ROBIN book. If you’re one of the first 10 fans to answer correctly, you’ll get your hands on a pristine copy of the new collection. So, if you’re not a Twitter user, sign up. It’s easy. Start following DC NATION (and artist Philip Tan, while you’re at it) and wait until the question pops up in your Twitter friends feed. After that, it’s up to you.

Click below for the exact rules.

See you there!

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The Eisner Awards, considered by many to be “The Oscars” of comic book industry awards, unveiled their nominees for the 2010 ceremony today, honoring a number of key DCU titles and creators. The winners will be named at the San Diego Comic-Con International, the largest and oldest comic convention in the United States.

Let’s check out the DCU nominees, shall we?

SINGLE ISSUE:
“Blackhawk and the Flash: Firing Line,” by J. Michael Straczynski and artist Jesus Saiz presents the reader with a tale both classic and modern, reminding us of the best, off-the-wall superhero team-ups of the past with a modern twist.

LIMITED SERIES OR STORY ARC:
BLACKEST NIGHT, by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert. The epic, universe-spanning mini-series gets a much-deserved nod from the Eisner judges, capping off an epic year of compelling storytelling and jaw-droppingly beautiful art that dominated the comic book landscape.

WRITER:
Geoff Johns, ADVENTURE COMICS, BLACKEST NIGHT, THE FLASH: REBIRTH, SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, GREEN LANTERN. What more can be said about Mr. Johns? He’s had a stellar year, hasn’t he? Whether he was bringing back the dead and spreading mutli-colored rings in the pages of BLACKEST NIGHT or reinventing one of modern folklore’s greatest legends in the pages of SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, Johns has blazed a trail through the DC Universe by making the supremely difficult look almost too easy: strong stories focused on strong characters with no frills.

WRITER:
James Robinson, JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE. One thing that can be said about James Robinson as a writer? He takes risks. Whether it’s launching a Justice League series starring Congorilla, a blue-skinned Starman and Supergirl or having one of comic’s most-beloved heroes shoot an arrow through Prometheus’ skull, let it never said that Robinson plays it safe. And it’s that daring and innate knowledge of these characters he so clearly loves that earned him the nod.

PENCILLER/INKER and COVER ARTIST:
J.H. Williams III, DETECTIVE COMICS. You read that correctly. That’s TWO nominations for superstar artist J.H. Williams III, who clearly poured everything he had into his work on the Batwoman story in DETECTIVE COMICS. It was Williams’ vivid and constantly evolving linework and almost innate ability to construct a page — and do so in new, daring ways — that helped literally paint a picture for the reader, and really made Kate Kane a real, breathing character for an entire generation of fans to embrace. Bravo!

PAINTER/MULTIMEDIA ARTIST:
Mauro Cascioli, JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE. Mauro Cascioli made tragedy real. With his realistic, painterly style, Cascioli brought a gritty, three-dimensional sensibility to a book that collected some of the most daring and imaginative characters in the DC Universe. Whether it was a battle of super-powered beings among the clouds or an archer’s aching sense of loss, Cascioli has it covered, and he showed as much in the pages of CRY FOR JUSTICE.

COLORING:
Alex Sinclair, BLACKEST NIGHT. Seems like a no-brainer, huh? But not just anyone could bring to life the vivid spectrum of powers and emotions that form the crux of BLACKEST NIGHT — from the raging reds of Atrocitus to the serene blues of Saint Walker and everything in between, Sinclair made the reader feel like they were on the sidelines watching a fantastical light battle that was as awe-inspiring as it was dangerous. Not an easy feat, folks.

GRAPHIC ALBUM (REPRINT) and PUBLICATION DESIGN
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE. Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Doug Braithwaite’s all-star story of of heroes and villains got the spruced up Absolute treatment in 2009, and we finally got to see the book’s amazing artwork presented as it should have been — in an expanded and high-end format.

Congrats to all the nominees. 2009 was a major year for the DC Universe, and it’s great to see the talent recognized by such an esteemed organization. Fingers crossed!