Been a great show so far, eh? For those reading along from home, our very own Ian Sattler promised on the DC Editorial panel at WonderCon today that we’d be talking about some major creators contributing to upcoming issues of DCU: LEGACIES, the era-spanning series touching on the various heroes and villains of the DC Universe.

Well, how about these names? J.H. Williams III. Dave Gibbons. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. Rags Morales. Dan Jurgens.

Not too shabby, huh?

And because I can’t really contain myself when I know I have a cool piece of Dave Gibbons art, here’s the inked cover to LEGACIES #3, from the legendary creator.

The King is dead! Long live the King!

Let me shed some more light on what was just announced at WonderCon today: ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER — the landmark hit series from the superstar team of writer Frank Miller and artist Jim Lee — has ceased publication.

But that’s not the news here. The epic partnership of Miller and Lee is far from done:

“The first Chapter of the story of how Batman and Robin came to be has been told in issues 1-10 of ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN,” said ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN artist Jim Lee. “Frank and I sat down just recently to have a long talk about how best to finish this very ‘deadline challenged’ project and give the loyal fans the second part of this epic storyline they have been patiently waiting for. Moreover, we wanted fans to know that this story is part of the overall Batman mythos and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS universe which Frank [Miller] started back in 1986.”

Out of this meeting came the decision to rebrand the series DARK KNIGHT: BOY WONDER. It will fit into the library of Frank Miller Batman titles: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, BATMAN: YEAR ONE and THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN. Beginning in February, 2011, you will see the remaining six issues ship on time, every month, culminating in the conclusion of the storyline started years ago.

“I feel terrible about how late the book fell behind,” added Lee. “100 percent of the blame falls upon my shoulders, so one of the reasons we chose the February, 2011, start date was to ensure that DARK KNIGHT: BOY WONDER would ship regularly and on-time. There are a number of reasons for it’s incredible delay but rather than focus on what cannot be changed, I want to promise fans that they will see cool snippets and exclusive previews on this very blog in the coming months to whet their appetites for the the next chapter of the story of the Dark Knight and Robin, the Boy Wonder.”

With BLACKEST NIGHT #8 out and in the world and WonderCon upon us, why not remove some of those pesky shadows from the first cover of BIRDS OF PREY #1? Enjoy.

Greetings DC Nation! Are you ready for WonderCon? We’re so ready to go that I took a practice run to the airport this morning and then I held a rehearsal DC Universe panel on the street in front of our offices. We are THAT ready. From April 2-4 we will be at the Moscone Center South in San Francisco and we will be the best prepared comics publisher you have ever seen! You will be in awe of the precision of our details and the smoothness of our delivery.

In all seriousness though – we couldn’t be more excited to be attending WonderCon this year. We have an incredible list of DC creators that will be on hand including – Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, David Finch, Adam Hughes, Geoff Johns, Jimmy Palmiotti, James Robinson, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Kevin Smith, Ethan Van Sciver and Judd Winick. In fact, this is the first show David Finch will attend as a member of the DC Nation so be sure to give him an extra big welcome when you see him.

We have panels every day of the show so be sure to take a look at the schedule below and join us for as many as you can. DC Nation on Friday make be a little bit different than you’re expecting and Brightest Day is the first panel we’ll have on the subject post-Blackest Night #8 so be sure to check that out as well. Also be sure to remember how awesome our friends in Seattle were with the doughnuts when you make plans to come to the DCU panel on Saturday. Seriously.

And before I go pack my bags I want to remind you that our booth number is 607 and that we have the BEST free stuff at any convention!

See you at the show!

- Ian Sattler, Senior Story Editor DCU

WONDERCON ’10 Panel Descriptions

FRIDAY

DC NATION!
4-5pm, Room 103

SATURDAY
DCU EDITORIAL PRESENTATION
12-1:30pm, Room 103

BRIGHTEST DAY
5:30-6:30pm, Room 103

SUNDAY

SUNDAY CONVERSATION
2:30-3:30pm, Room 236-238

We’ve heard rumblings about this project for some time, but we can now make it official: Legendary comic book creator Neal Adams will be returning to Batman in 2010.

BATMAN: ODYSSEY, a 12-part mini-series launching in July, brings Adams back to the character he helped redefine. Adams’ energetic, realistic and sweeping style is both timeless and modern, and its an understatement to say his return to The Dark Knight has been something fans have been clamoring for.

ODYSSEY finds Batman facing a series of seemingly unrelated challenges, villains and allies, old and new, that push him to his limits as never before. The battles get more intense and, in turn, more deadly, The Dark Knight Detective discovers that there might be an over-arching force behind his troubles. And if this is so, if there is a dark and mysterious matrix being super-imposed over Batman’s life… what sort of life-changing voyage must he go on to free himself from this powerful and insidious direction?

Worse… where can he go that he has never gone before for his desperately needed Odyssey?

“I have been collecting bits and pieces of Batman’s life and time over the years since I was doing Batman regularly,” Adams said. “With even this massive series, I haven’t been able to shove them all in. but the juiciest and richest morsels are there. Have comic books always been this much fun?”

Adams, who will write and pencil the entire series, will also ink the first two issues, followed by pairings with some of the most lauded artistic collaborators in the comic book industry. What more do you really need? Neal Adams. On Batman. July 2010.

See you there.

By Geoff Johns

How about that gatefold spread?

So you probably understand why we couldn’t exactly talk about BRIGHTEST DAY in great detail until now, right? Before I get into BRIGHTEST DAY, I wanted to say thank you from all of us ­ from me, Ivan Reis, Eddie Berganza and everyone else who worked on this series and the stories around it. Thank you for your trust and time. BLACKEST NIGHT was a labor of love by all involved and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we did.

But how about that gatefold spread?

Aw yeah Ivan Reis!

Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Firestorm, Maxwell Lord, Captain Boomerang, Jade, the Reverse-Flash, Hawk, Osiris and… Deadman?

Twelve heroes and villains were resurrected by the white light.  Some will call it a miracle and others a sign of the apocalypse, and though the exact reasons for their rebirths is a mystery, it won’t be for long.

They’re back ­ for a reason.

Although they all have their own journeys ahead, they are connected by something and their exact mission will unfold throughout BRIGHTEST DAY.  But while the truth behind their return and their ultimate destination lies within the BRIGHTEST DAY series itself and GREEN LANTERN, there are other books where you can follow these recently returned heroes to find out what life has in store for them and what they have in store for life.

In BRIGHTEST DAY, the whole cast will be seen with Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Firestorm and Deadman taking the lead as the truth behind their resurrections is discovered.

In GREEN LANTERN, the mysterious White Lantern will be the object of everyone’s desires.

In THE FLASH, Captain Boomerang will deal with a bizarre change he believes is left over from the black ring that animated his corpse.  And the Reverse-Flash won’t be gone for long… but he’ll appear somewhere else first.

In JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST, Maxwell Lord ­ the most wanted man in America ­ is hunted by the former members of Justice League International; Booster Gold, Fire, Ice and Captain Atom.  Why not the Justice League of America?  Max is tricky…

In JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, the exact nature of Jade’s powers and their connection to the mythology of the Green Lantern Corps is unveiled.

In BIRDS OF PREY, Hawk will have to be balanced out by Dove..and Dove’s connection to the white light will be revealed in BRIGHTEST DAY.

In TITANS, Osiris will be seen as a way to Black Adam and vice versa.

And finally, in GREEN ARROW #1… well… I’ve said enough.  Let’s let the pictures doing the talking.

It’s a new dawn, but what tomorrow is like no one can say for sure.  Except maybe Deadman… who is ironically the key to it all.

Some second chances work out and some don’t.

See you in a few weeks!

Geoff

Writers James Robinson and Sterling Gates and artist Pete Woods present a bleak scenario for the Kryptonians as Brainiac reveals his trump card for destroying the planet, leaving Zod grasping at straws as to how to defend his people. But Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes have made it aboard Brainiac’s ship, determined to stop the tyrant at any cost. And that last page? It’s been over a year in the making.

SUPERMAN: LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON #2 hits 4/7.

Well, that was an epic ride, wasn’t it? BLACKEST NIGHT #8 brought the massively popular series to a close, but not without opening some doors for the future.

But, let me cut right to the chase: Do not read any further if you haven’t gone to your comic shop and picked up BLACKEST NIGHT #8 yet. Spoiler Warning is definitely up and in effect.

Trust me. Go on, I’ll wait here. Back? OK, give it a read.

Done? How ‘bout that ending, huh?

Bet you weren’t expecting this…

Read the rest of this entry »

“To all things there is an end.”

A pretty basic conceit. One that BLACKEST NIGHT pretty much focused on. It was the driving force of our main baddie, Neckron. He wanted to return everything back to the black void, before there was light.

And now, while Nekron has been defeated, Black Hand lives and the Blackest Night is over… I am sad. Very sad, in fact, because this event that started off so simply with the slogan “The Dead Shall Rise” is over.

For most, having undertaken one of these massive comic crossovers, the end could not have come fast enough. But not me.

I’m gonna miss getting the latest script from Geoff Johns. With each chapter–and I don’t know how he did it — he topped himself. Look at every issue’s last page — from the villains all rising out of the JLA’s crypts to former dead heroes being turned into Black Lanterns to other heroes being deputized by the various color corps; they were all jaw dropping. (Holey Moley moments, to put it politely).

But that then went off to Ivan Reis, and like Dr. Frankenstein, he gave life to Geoff’s monstrous visions. A dark Guardian tearing his fellow Guardian’s throat. An undead Aquaman summoning horrors from the sea. Spectre towering over the DC mystics. The list goes on. Visceral, dynamic and quite simply works of art. I have not seen any other artist go the distance on an epic like this. No offense to anyone that I have worked with before on an event comic, but they will all admit to looking for some shortcuts when, in the last couple of issues it comes to one army of heroes facing off against a horde of evil. This is were the backgrounds get a bit lost. When lighting is such that more silhouettes start to appear. But not Ivan. Each double-page spread became more intricate than the next. And as we reached the homestretch, he asked for heroes he had not yet drawn on the double page spread on the last issue’s page 10-11, not to mention there’s that spread with Guy leading the colored Corps. Oh yeah, and that spectacular fold-out which Ivan had wanted to do to have the Twelve’s return really mean something. What Ivan’s done really does mean something to me. This is someone that loves comics and loves what he does.

His wingmen, Oclair Albert and Joe Prado, kept up with the insanity by putting down some very powerful inks. On the side, Joe was designing Black Lanterns as quick as they were rising in the main title and the tie-ins.

Sleeplessness just became the norm for all these guys. I know that despite our time difference, colorist Alex Sinclair was always up, always keeping the war light and color looking as dramatic as possible and not a Skittles commercial.

My associate editor Adam Schlagman was on e-mail 24/7, making sure everything kept moving, that every colored Lantern leader had the right balloon, that all Black Lantern vision across the tie-ins was consistent.

Yup, amazing efforts by all and I’m gonna miss it a lot, as I figuring you will as well as you go to the comic shop. At least. we all have the DC Direct toys to let us re-enact some of our favorite scenes (even more toys are on the way).

Still… not the same…

I miss BLACKEST NIGHT and hate saying goodbye to it and all the great, amazing talent that made it possible…

…So… what to do…

Hmm… those heroes and villains are back from the dead.

Wonder what their story is?

Geoff, Ivan, Joe and Adam grab Peter Tomasi, Pat Gleason, Fernando Pasarin, Scott Clark and Ardian Saef– let’s see what the BRIGHTEST DAY brings… Carpe Diem!

For more behind the scenes stuff, don’t miss the BLACKEST NIGHT DIRECTOR’S CUT, on sale soon.

Thanks Eddie! But that’s not all…speaking of what’s coming next, click below!

Read the rest of this entry »