This is the showdown you’ve been waiting for, as two Secret Six teams head for a nasty collision, courtesy of writer Gail Simone and artist J. Calafiore. Who is left standing, and will there even be a Secret Six when the dust settles? Bad guy guests galore in this turning point issue.

SECRET SIX #25 hits today.

We’ve got another batch of eye candy for you this afternoon, with a look at Ale Garza’s cover to THE FLASH #6, Cliff Chiang and Kevin Maguire’s covers to JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #10 and Frazer Irving’s creepy BATMAN AND ROBIN #15 look into the Joker’s innermost thoughts. Enjoy.

There aren’t many things I love as much – or more – than comics, aside from my friends and family. Music is one of those things. Whether it’s discovering a new artist and wearing out their album, catching a show in the city or shuffling through my own music archives to find that perfect track for a mix CD, music is something that’s constantly on my mind. If you’re foolish enough to follow me on Twitter, you know this. Heck, I’m probably listening to some music right now.

So, the idea of mixing my two passions – comics and music – together not only sounds good on paper, but in reality. DC Comics has produced a number of amazing books, televisions series, cartoons and more over the last 75 years. But never before have all the essential sounds and songs from these shows been collected in one place. Well, now they have.

It starts in 1941, with the theme to the classic Fleischer Superman cartoons and moves through the years, including shows and movies like BATMAN, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, LOIS & CLARK, BATMAN BEYOND, SMALLVILLE, THE BATMAN and a ton more, all on one compact disc – with 21 of the 31 tracks available for the first time ever.

The collection, which hits stores later this year, is a must-buy for any fan of DC Comics and it’s various television, film and cartoon interpretations. Scroll down for the track listing and album art. I know I’ll be popping my copy in once it arrives.

The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection

1. Superman March – Sammy Timberg (1941)
-Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Academy Award Nominated cartoon series “Superman” produced by Max Fleischer. This was the first Superman cartoon.

2. Theme From Superman (Album Version) – John Williams (1978)
- From the live-action film “Superman.” Digitally remastered.

3. The New Adventures of Superman – John Gart (1966)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The New Adventures of Superman.”

4. Lois and Clark / The New Adventures of Superman – Jay Gruska (1993)
- From the live-action TV Series “Lois and Clark”. Digitally remastered.

5. The Adventures of Superboy – John Gart(1966)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Superboy.”

6. Superboy – Kevin Kiner (1988)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Superboy.”

7. Smallville Season 8 (End Title) – Louis Febre (2008)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Smallville.”

8. Batman: The Electrical Brain – Lee Zahler (1943)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action serial “The Batman.” This was the first filmed appearance of Batman.

9. The Batman Theme (Album Version) – Danny Elfman (1989)
- From the live-action film “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

10. The Adventures of Batman – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the filmation cartoon “The Adventures of Batman.”

11. Batman TV Series Theme – Neal Hefti (1966)
-From the live-action TV series “Batman”. Digitally remastered.

12. Batman: The Brave and the Bold – Andy Sturmer (2008)
-From the cartoon “Batman: The Brave and the Bold”. Digitally remastered.

13. Batman Beyond – Kristopher Lee (1999)
-From the cartoon “Batman Beyond”. Digitally remastered.

14. Molossus from Batman Begins – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard (2005)
-From the live-action film “Batman Begins”. Digitally remastered.

15. Justice League of America – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Justice League of America.”

16. Super Friends – Hoyt Curtin (1973)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “SuperFriends.”

17. The All New Super Friends Hour – Hoyt Curtin (1977)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The All-New SuperFriends Hour.”

18. Justice League Unlimited – Michael McCuistion (2004)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the cartoon “Justice League Unlimited.”

19. Legends of the Superheroes – Fred Wener (1979)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV special “Legends of the Superheroes.”

20. The Teen Titans – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Teen Titans.”

21. Aquaman – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Aquaman.”

22. Swamp Thing – Christopher Stone (1991)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV show “Swamp Thing: The Series.”

23. Shazam! – Norman Prescott & Yvette Blais (1974)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the live-action TV series “Shazam!”

24. The Flash – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Flash.”

25. Green Lantern – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Green Lantern.”

26. Green Lantern First Flight – Robert J Kral (2009)
-From the animated movie “Green Lantern: First Flight.” Digitally remastered.

27. The Atom – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “The Atom.”

28. Hawkman – John Gart (1967)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Filmation cartoon “Hawkman.”

29. Plastic Man Comedy Adventure Show – Dean Elliott (1979)
- Previously unavailable. Digitally remastered. From the Ruby-Spears cartoon “The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show.”

30. Wonder Woman The Animated Movie End Title – Christopher Drake (2009)
-From the animated movie “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.

31. Wonder Woman – Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel (1976)
-From the live-action TV series “Wonder Woman.” Digitally remastered.

Well, not exactly – but J’onn does pay Ollie a visit in Star City, and let’s just say the forest has an interesting effect on our green-skinned hero.

Plus, what is Black Manta up to, and who’s interested?

BRIGHTEST DAY #9, courtesy of Johns, Tomasi, Reis and Gleason, hits 9/1.

This week, the writing duo of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti team up with artist Travis Moore to launch the FREEDOM FIGHTERS into their own ongoing series.

A national mystery unfolds when the government learns of the existence of a Confederate super weapon intended to insure the South won the Civil War. Who built it and why wasn’t it used?

With new challenges and old threats returning to plague them, the stakes are higher than ever. Can the Freedom Fighters stand by their duty when their country calls?

FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1 hits Wednesday. Scroll down for a first look at the new series.

Or should I say Bat-men?

As THE NEW YORK POST broke this morning, not only will Bruce Wayne be returning to a new set of Batman duds, but his first sidekick, Dick Grayson, will continue to fight crime on the streets of Gotham as Batman, and under the banner of “Batman Inc.”

But what does that mean for the Batman titles moving forward?

We’ve got the breakdown for you here. Fear not.

Starting in November, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN and BATMAN AND ROBIN will feature the ongoing adventures of Dick Grayson as Batman, with Damian as Robin. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne will take center stage in the pages of Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s BATMAN INC. and writer/artist David Finch’s BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT.

What does this mean for Bruce and Dick Grayson? Can the world handle two Batmen? We can’t give everything away here, but we did manage to corner Batman Group Editor Mike Marts for a quick tease, and a look at an amazing spread from the first issue of BATMAN INC. Take it away, Mike:

“Just as readers were getting comfortable with the idea of former sidekick Dick Grayson playing the role of Batman, along comes Bruce Wayne’s triumphant return to the Cape and Cowl. Is Gotham City ready for two Batmen? Is the world? And who’s to say the fun will end there?”

As our very own Ian Sattler reminded y’all, this weekend is the Baltimore Comic Con. Part of the festivities include The Harvey Awards, named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents. The Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art.

The 2010 edition of the Harveys just concluded, and we’re proud to announce – in a rare weekend post, to boot! – that WEDNESDAY COMICS nabbed the top honor for “Best Anthology.” Congrats to Editor Mark Chiarello and the sterling assortment of talent he put together. The awards is much deserved!

Wow, can’t believe I’m saying goodbye to two of my babies at the same time.

My daughter Kim is going off to college and I’m leaving the editorial reigns of SUPERMAN/BATMAN.

Neither is easy.

But both got great going away parties.

For S/B#75 it was awesome putting together the list of attendees.

Paul Levitz and Jerry Ordway were the opening act, and they were having the Legion finally team-up with Batman!

Then the ever effervescent Steve Seagle got together with Teddy Kristiansen to give me a means to bring the rest of my crazy idea of 2-pagers that would honor our World’s Finest–that it’s the only sequel to his acclaimed graphic novel IT’S A BIRD, is just a bonus.

Billy Tucci was dealing with some real world things, but was a total pro in bringing in the aspect of this biz that makes it so great–the escape our imagination brings us, young and old.

When I asked Adam Hughes to participate, I honestly thought he would be too busy, but he did it, and he brought Supergirl and Batgirl with him. I could not have been happier.

J.T. Krul and Francis Manapul made me smile with their teenage troubles. Francis did such an amazing job that I decided to keep it as he had done it without any extra color.

Jill Thompson finally got to do some DCU stuff! Yeah!!

Michael Green and Mike Johnson along with Shane Davis, Sandra Hope, Raphael Albuquerque and Brian Buccellato brought life to the party.

While Duncan Rouleau let the dogs out!

Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo brilliantly brought the only sanity they could to my asking for a Lex Luthor/Joker team-up.

David Finch continues to impress me with his writing abilities, I cannot wait to see more!

But like Tucci, it’s Peter Tomasi brings the curtain down and remind us why we love Superman and Batman and comics in general so much.

So keep the imagination going everyone and let that inner child run wild even when you do have to let your kids move on.

Hasta,
- e

P.S. My actual last issue of editing S/B is #78, but figured I would do something early for a change. : )

Let’s hear it for Matt Idelson on #79.

Gotham’s got the Dynamic Duo – but that’s not the only powerful pair of vigilantes protecting a major metropolis. London has Knight and Squire, the British heroes and frequent allies of Batman and Robin. And in a secret pub within the city where peace is kept magically, heroes and villains alike gather over a pint and talk about their day. But magic, as we all know, is a fickle thing – so what happens when the barriers are dropped and a building packed with heroes and villains confront each other at the same time? Well, it’s up to Knight and Squire to keep the peace, and that’s obviously no small task. But don’t take my word for it. Writer Paul Cornell, what say you?

“I think Knight and Squire is some of my best comics work. I’m getting the chance to wildly invent, and it turns out that whatever I invent, James can draw! It’s been huge fun. I think that comes over. I’m hoping The Milkman will get a solo ongoing.”

Thanks, Paul! And now, here’s a first look at a few pages from KNIGHT AND SQUIRE #1, by Cornell and artist Jimmy Broxton.

Sean Ryan here, editor at DC Comics. I edit a little book I like to call SECRET SIX. Perhaps you’ve heard of it; read about it online, etc. Or perhaps a friend has told you about it. Or maybe a stuffy authority figure has told you that you shouldn’t read it because it’s full of sex and violence and verbal innuendo, courtesy of writer Gail Simone.

Well, no matter how you’ve heard of it, I wanted to pass on that the whole SECRET SIX family is thrilled to have Jim Calafiore on as the official ongoing artist. Mr. Calafiore is one of the smartest artists I’ve worked with and he brings such a great feel and energy to the book. Plus, he draws some exquisite violence. Check out page 19 of issue 25 if you don’t believe me.

So if you’re not reading SECRET SIX, issue 25 is a perfect place to start. It’s the beginning of a brand new arc, there’s going to be dinosaurs showing up, and the editors at IGN just named SECRET SIX the second best book DC Comics publishes. Silver medals for everyone!