(September 21, 2010 – New York) DC Entertainment, as part of its ongoing strategy to integrate the DC Comics business, brand and characters into Warner Bros. Entertainment’s content and distribution operations, will relocate its business functions related to and supporting multi-media and digital content production to Burbank, California. DCE’s publishing operations will remain in New York, continuing DC Comics’ 75-plus year legacy of leadership in the comic book arena. These announcements were made today by Diane Nelson, President, DC Entertainment.

“These organizational changes reinforce the strengths of DC’s greatest legacies – most importantly its people and its creative talent – and offer greater opportunity for maximum growth, success and efficiency in the future,” said Nelson. “Our two offices will stretch and build their respective areas of focus, while prioritizing and aggressively striving to connect and cooperate more strongly than ever before between them and with their colleagues at Warner Bros.”

“This strategic business realignment allows us to fully integrate and expand the DC brand in feature films as well as across multiple distribution platforms of Warner Bros. and Time Warner,” said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, to whom Nelson reports.  “We are creating a seamless, cohesive unit that will bring even more great characters and content to consumers everywhere.”

The relocation process is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011, with DCE’s businesses related to the development and production of feature films, television, digital media, video games and consumer products as well as the company’s administrative functions relocating to a Warner Bros.-managed property in Burbank, CA. DC Comics’ publishing operations, which have been the bedrock since the company’s inception with an annual output of over 1,100 comic books, 300 graphic novels and MAD magazine, will remain in New York. The bi-coastal business units will work more closely together to continue elevating the powerful DCE brand.

DC Entertainment was founded in September 2009 to fully realize the power and value of the DC Comics brand and characters across all media and platforms. The senior management team responsible for shepherding DCE through this reorganization is comprised of Nelson, Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer; John Rood, Executive Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development; and Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, Co-Publishers of DC Comics.

Starting next month, the team of penciler Tyler Kirkham and inker BATT will take over the regular art duties on GREEN LANTERN CORPS, joining regular writer Tony Bedard. But why wait until then? We swung by GLC Editor Adam Schlagman’s office and snatched up a few shots of what’s to come from the series. But before we unveil these images, what does Adam think about the new artistic duo?

“Tyler Kirkham and BATT are an incredible art team that are going to blow fans away! Check out a small preview of what they have in store…And that’s just the beginning. Wait until you see Tyler’s Sinestro!

Writer Tony Bedard introduces us to the Weaponer of Qward — the man who forged Sinestro’s original yellow ring. The Green Lantern Corps is in for a load of trouble!”

Sinestro? Sold. Until then, though, here are those images we promised.

As we announced a few months back in San Diego, Chloe Sullivan will be appearing in the pages of the JIMMY OLSEN co-feature in ACTION COMICS by writer Nick Spencer and artist R.B. Silva, starting next week.

Over at TV GUIDE, there’s a first look at artist Silva’s take on the character – but that’s not all. Fans will be able to download digital versions of the 10-page story from ACTION COMICS #893 for free via the DC Comics and Comixology apps. What more incentive do you need to give the story a try?

Starting in December, the Birds of Prey will get a new member – to their creative team, that is.

Hot off a stint on GREEN LANTERN CORPS and BRIGHTEST DAY, Ardian Syaf steps in as the regular artist on the series, joining forces with regular writer Gail Simone. And Syaf is stepping in just in time, as the series continues to kick things into high gear, with a new arc starting in December titled “The Death of Oracle.”

BIRDS OF PREY Editor Janelle Siegel was kind enough to show off a few pages of Ardian’s art, and it seems she’s as excited as we are about the new addition:

“I’ve been a fan of Ardian’s work for quite some time, so I jumped at the chance to have him on Birds of Prey. He’s a great fit for the book because he is an immensely talented artist with a gift for storytelling and action and he’s also great at drawing beautiful women! We couldn’t ask for a better combination than that for the kind of stories we’re telling in Birds of Prey right now.”

Oh, and about that art…

Okay, I’m just gonna geek out and shout it to the heavens:

PAUL LEVITZ AND KEITH GIFFEN ARE REUNITING ON THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES!!!

And I get to edit it! Whee!! You have to understand what this monumental development means to me personally.

Y’see, Paul and Keith transformed the Legion from an enduring DC franchise into one of the most popular and dynamic comic book series of the 1980s. With an entire 30th century future world at their command, they crafted the most innovative, break-the-mold superhero world anyone had ever read up to that point. Their names were spoken in the same breath as Frank Miller, Chris Claremont and Wolfman/Pérez.

For me and the many other fanboys of Generation X, Paul and Keith did the seemingly impossible: They made me a Legion fan. For life.

I admit, back in 1985, my 14-year-old self felt names like “Lightning Lad” and “Cosmic Boy” sounded really silly. No way I was going to invest in characters with those names, right?

Then I somehow stumbled upon TALES OF THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #326, which affordably reprinted Paul and Keith’s all-new LEGION series a year after their original release. This one reprinted issue #1. It must have been a slow week for me to even crack open the cover. It began with a collection of psychopaths called the Legion of Super-Villains who each took a blood oath to kill a Legionnaire. One of them tortured his own sister by jolting her with massive amounts of electricity. Another literally melted a lowly waitress alive with a molten kiss, just for the fun of it! Sick stuff. And yet, these Legionnaires refused to back off. I was really impressed. I wanted to know more about these guys, even if their names were “Saturn Girl” and “Ultra Boy.” They stopped being silly and became as serious as a heart attack.

Then Keith left the series shortly thereafter, and Paul flew solo for a long while. Then Keith came back to do the last year on that series with Paul—and I defy anyone to tell me issue #53’s “The Trial of Brainiac 5” isn’t awesome—and then Paul left the series for Keith to do solo.

That was 1989. The two never collaborated on the Legion again. That is, until this December, when they come together again on the oversized LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ANNUAL #1. It introduces an all-new, all-psycho Emerald Empress—and just hearing the twisted stuff they have in store fills this Legion fan with utter glee.

In fact, Keith just sent me his first pages, and they look gorgeous. He’s mixing Kirby with his ’90s Legion style and a modern sensibility. I look at the Xeroxes on my desk, and I know it’s REAL. It’s happening.

It reminded me why I’m a Legion fan in the first place.

P.S. You know what’s REALLY weird? This is Paul and Keith’s third “LEGION ANNUAL #1.” They did one in 1982, 1985 and now in 2010. Third time’s the charm, they say!

We’ve got a full rundown of the BRIGHTEST DAY books shipping in December, including a few clues into the origin of a certain Black Manta. Click below for more.

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We’ve given you two major sneak peeks earlier this week, but now it’s time for the whole shebang – click below for a complete rundown of the December-shipping Batman titles.

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Writer G. Willow Wilson (AIR) and newcomer Leandro Oliveira provide a “Grounded” interlude in October’s SUPERMAN #704, detailing a visit Lois Lane makes to the town where she went to college in anticipation of Superman’s arrival. When she runs into an old boyfriend and sees the nice, normal family he has, Lois is can’t help but examine the choices she made and wonder if they were the correct ones.

Not only does the issue feature another instant classic John Cassaday cover, but will also sport a variant by artist Gene Ha. You can see the Cassaday image below.

Writer Judd Winick and artist Marco Rudy kick off a new arc on SUPERMAN/BATMAN by jumping back to the days following FINAL CRISIS. In the shadow of the “Return of Bruce Wayne,” Superman remembers the fall of The Dark Knight, as Dick Grayson takes on the mantle of the Bat. But as a threat both alien and mystical erupts in Gotham, does the new World’s Finest team stand a chance?

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #76 hits 9/22.

What do you get for the Lantern who wants everything?

This December, Orange Lantern Larfleeze, who’s never seen anything he didn’t want for his own, has his hopes set on everything Christmas-related, including Santa Claus. And nothing, not even the heroes that populate the DCU are going to stand in his way.

Featuring words by GREEN LANTERN mastermind Geoff Johns with art by Brett Booth and a sterling Gene Ha cover, the one-shot special also includes a peek into how the other members of the Orange Lantern Corps celebrate the holidays. Click below for Ha’s cover and prepare for the weirdest and craziest sleigh ride ever.