Hey, it’s New York Comicon. Did you expect a quiet few days?

First off, I’d like to give a huge tip of the hat to writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle. As many fans have said across the web, they’ve done a masterful job with SUPERGIRL and you can be sure their names will be popping up on the credits of many books to come. But more on that later.

Who’s taking over the reins of SUPERGIRL?

Starting in January, writer Nick Spencer (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS and the JIMMY OLSEN co-feature in ACTION COMICS) will hop into the driver’s seat with artist Bernard Chang (SUPERMAN). As some of you faithful Source readers have noticed, Nick’s quickly risen up the ranks and become one of our busiest and most engaging creators. His knack for getting to the heart of the character – whether it’s the newly-introduced Chloe Sullivan (yeah, from “Smallville”!), Jimmy or the myriad heroes and characters that will populate T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS – and well-paced action are a classic recipe for success with a modern twist. Seriously. His stuff’s a treat.

You saw the SUPERGIRL #57 art we teased not long ago, right? Bernard’s got a knack for drawing Kryptonians, and has put together an impressive resume of late involving a number of key issues in the SUPERMAN family. So, Supergirl’s going to continue to look stellar, you can bank on it.

Let’s ping SUPERGIRL Assistant Editor Wil Moss for more, shall we?

“How do you follow a character-defining run like Sterling and Jamal had on SUPERGIRL? Beats me – that’s Nick and Bernard’s problem! But if anyone can do it, it’s these two guys. Get ready for a deadly new version of an old threat (one with ties to Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul’s run on ADVENTURE COMICS), and a laundry list of guest stars – the promo piece doesn’t even show half of ‘em! So while Supergirl the character has never been in more trouble, rest assured that SUPERGIRL the title has never been stronger!”

Game on, folks. Starting a 1pm today, the doors to the Javits Center in NYC open up and NYCC 2010 will be in full swing. As Ian noted a few days ago, we’ll have an impressive array of talent, panels and giveaways to keep fans attending the show.

But what to do until the show starts?

How about a first look at writer/artist David Finch’s BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1? We’ve got a preview that’ll knock your socks off, as the kids say. And if that’s not enough, we’ve got some pages from Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s BATMAN INCORPORATED #1, both hitting in November. Also, if you’re attending the show, you can find the pages printed in the NYCC convention booklet.

Stay tuned to The Source all weekend for updates, panel art and info.

See you at the show!

Heading to NYCC? Use Foursquare? Well, prepare to unlock a badge that’ll elevate you to the exalted Green Lantern Corps!

Warner Bros. Television Group, DC Entertainment and Foursquare are going green at New York Comic Con, offering fans the chance to unlock an exclusive GREEN LANTERN badge during the three-day show.

How does it work? Well, if you’re at the con, simply check in to Foursquare and you’ll unlock the badge. Head over to the DC Comics booth (#2243) and show your badge and you get an exclusive GREEN LANTERN replica ring. Sounds easy, right?

Swing by and say hi! See you at the show.

“Hey Jeff, this is Geoff Johns!” That’s not what I expect to hear when I pick up the telephone. But it’s exactly what I did hear a few months ago. I’d been working away on inks for an issue of Sweet Tooth (the Vertigo series that I write and draw) one afternoon when my wife passed me the phone. “Who is it?” I mimed to her, annoyed at the disturbance. She just shrugged. I rolled my eyes, put down my brush and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Jeff, this is Geoff Johns!”

And that’s how I ended up writing The Atom co-feature in Adventure Comics and then the new monthly Superboy series. Well, truth is told there was a bit more to it than that. I had to pitch and develop my ideas for both characters with DC Editors and all around great guys, Matt Idelson and Brian Cunnigham, over the course of a three or four month period. But really it all kind of happened rather quickly.

I never really set out to write superhero comics. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, always have. But my work has always tended to skew pretty far from the mainstream. I started out self-publishing my own mini-comics, and from there went on to do a number of indie graphic novels like the Essex County Trilogy. I was, and am perfectly happy working on these more personal projects. So I never expected, or lobbied to get writing gigs in the DCU. But when Geoff called and offered me the chance to do it, I didn’t hesitate for a minute.

I grew up reading DC comics. Wolfman and Perez’s Teen Titans and Levitz and Giffen’s Legion of Superheroes were the duo-bibles of my own personal religion as a kid. I know the DCU in and out. So the opportunity to put my stamp on one or two DC characters was too good to pass up. And luckily I’m a really fast artist, so figured I’d still able to balance my “personal” work like Sweet Tooth, with Superboy, The Atom and whatever else came up at DC. Boy was I ever wrong.

Again, don’t get the wrong idea, I am able to keep up with, and in most cases stay way ahead of, all my deadlines. What I was wrong about was presuming I’d never care as much about the DCU stuff as my creator-owned work. Because as soon as I started digging in the rich old soil of Smallville, and messing around with Superboy’s life, I knew that this project was going to be every bit as important to me as anything I’d ever done before.

I grew up on a farm, in a really small town in Canada that may as well have been Smallville. So it isn’t hard for me to inject some of that experience into the book. And I love the idea of telling truly rural superhero stories. So many of today’s comics are set in urban centers, especially superhero comics. So it is really important to me to allow the new Superboy book to fully exploit it’s country setting and hopefully bring a unique point-of-view to the monthly comic racks.

But what about Superboy himself? What do I hope to say about the character of Conner Kent anyway? What makes him unique, other than the where he lives? Well , to me Kon-el is the ultimate outsider. He never had anything resembling a childhood, or a real family or parents. He was born in a lab and missed out on all of that. And. As a result he’s never had anyplace to truly call home. So, as our series starts, he’s finally trying to allow himself to find both of those things, family and community, in Smallville.

Community…that leads us to the supporting cast of the book…and to Geoff Johns again. In Geoff and Francis Manapul’s amazing Adventure Comics run with Superboy they set up some great new characters in Simon Valentine and Lori Luthor. Basically they gave me two incredible gifts. Simon is brilliant young man who is either destined to become Superboy’s greatest friend, or his greatest enemy. And Lori is Lex’s niece, so she and Conner are (sort of ) cousins, yet clearly have some unresolved feelings for each other. This is more rich soil to farm with. So expect them to be a BIG part of Conner’s life and adventures moving forward.

And then there’s THE PHANTOM STRANGER. One of my all-time favorite DC characters ever since he showed up in the classic Alan Moore Swamp Thing run, which I worshipped as a kid (and still do). You might not expect a dark and mysterious guy like The Stranger to pop up in pastoral Smallville. But he’ s going to be there a lot. Which might clue you in that there are a few dark and sinister things going on under that small town veneer that are going to make Superboy’s life even more interesting as my first year on the book unfolds.
All that and Krypto too. What more can a writer ask for?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Pier Gallo, the artist on Superboy — and colorist Jamie Grant. He is simply fantastic. He’s enthusiastic, passionate and talented. He brings an insane amount of detail into each panel, but never loses sight of the importance of clear storytelling. He has a singular voice to be sure, with a real European influence in his drawing. Between the two of us, I really think that Superboy is going to be a very unique comic.
The book hits in November, and If Pier and I do our jobs right, you’ll become as passionate about the new adventures of Superboy as we have. And if not, I’ll sic The Phantom Stranger on you.

See you in November, and until then, be sure to check out The Atom in Adventure Comics!

New York, October 7, 2010– Beginning January 2011, DC Comics will implement a line-wide pricing adjustment, lowering the prices of all standard length 32-page ongoing comic book titles currently priced at $3.99 to $2.99, it was announced today by DC Comics Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio.

“Today’s announcement re-affirms DC Comics’ commitment to both our core fans and to comic book store retailers,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “For the long term health of the industry, we are willing to take a financial risk so that readers who love our medium do not abandon the art form.”

“As Co-Publishers, we listened to our fans and to our partners in the retail community who told us that a $3.99 price point for 32 pages was too expensive. Fans were becoming increasingly reluctant to sample new titles and long term fans were beginning to abandon titles and characters that they’d collected for years.” said Dan DiDio, DC Comics Co-Publisher. “We needed a progressive pricing strategy that supports our existing business model and, more importantly, allows this creative industry to thrive for years to come. With the exceptions of oversized comic books, like annuals and specials, we are committed to a $2.99 price point.”

When taking into account mini-series, annuals and specials, more than 80% of DC’s comic books will be priced at $2.99.

As of January, the following titles standard length ongoing titles, previously priced at $3.99 for 32 pages/22 story pages, will be priced at $2.99 with 32 pages/20 story pages:

American Vampire;
Batman: The Dark Knight;
Batman Incorporated;
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors;
JSA All-Stars.

As of January, the following licensed titles, previously priced at $3.99, will be priced at $2.99:

Gears of War;
God of War;
Kane & Lynch;
Ratchet & Clank.

As of January, the following ongoing titles previously priced at $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages including co-features, will no longer include co-features and will be priced at $2.99 for 32 pages/ 20 story pages:

Action Comics;
Adventure Comics;
Batman: Streets of Gotham;
Detective Comics;
Doc Savage;
Justice League of America;
Legion of Super-Heroes;
The Spirit.

In January, five books are $3.99 for 40 pages/30 story pages:

Batman: Europa # 1
First Wave # 6
DCU: Legacies # 9
Weird Worlds # 1
World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen

The following oversized anniversary issue will be $4.99 for 48 pages/38 story pages:

Hellblazer # 275

“Fans of our co-features should stay tuned. Some of these characters will find a new platform,” said Dan DiDio. “Going forward, mini-series and special events may feature a different price point and page count to best allow writers and artists the flexibility of format and story pages they need to tell their stories best.”

Ryan Reynolds, the star of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Green Lantern” major motion picture has written an introduction for a newly-printed edition of GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN, the definitive comic book origin of the character he’s playing in the film, Green Lantern Hal Jordan.

The new edition of the modern classic by superstar comic book writer (and author of a number of episodes of “Smallville”) Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis also features a new cover by Reis, which you can see above, and collects the entire Secret Origin storyline, which shows the early days of Hal Jordan, as he discovers the amazing powers of his Green Lantern ring and faces a threat from beyond.

“Green Lantern” hits theaters on June 17, 2011. What better way to prep for the film than by reading the definitive origin of the main character, with an intro from the star of the film?

The term is thrown about often, but is certainly true this time: TEEN TITANS #88 is a perfect jumping on point for new readers. The preview pages below will prove it.

Writer J.T. Krul – coming off the strong launch of GREEN ARROW and already familiar with the TEEN TITANS thanks to his emotional and gruesome BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS mini-series – pairs with artist extraordinaire Nicola Scott to bring the Titans back while pushing them forward. These are the Titans you want to see, together again and facing threats old and new. Don’t believe me? Click on that last page, which serves as not only another example of how skilled Nicola is, but also serves as an ominous teaser of what’s to come for DC’s premiere teen team.

TEEN TITANS #88, the beginning of a new era for the team, hits 10/27.

One of the pleasant surprises of the last few months has been BATMAN: BEYOND, from writer Adam Beechen and artist Ryan Benjamin. Beechen’s whodunit take, involving Batman villains past, present and future, connected with fans of the original animated series and a number of new readers intrigued by the futuristic Batman and his vast supporting cast – both familiar and new.

Paired with Ryan Benjamin’s dynamic and stylized art, BATMAN BEYOND became the surprise hit of the season and, well, what we’re about to announce became a bit of a no brainer: Starting in January, BATMAN BEYOND goes from mini to ongoing, with a new #1 and the same creative team.

What’s in store? What other heroes and villains can we expect to see? I’ll leave that to Mr. Beechen to share at a later date. In the meantime, we’ve got a first look at the cover to BATMAN BEYOND #1, which kind of screams iconic, doesn’t it?

BATMAN BEYOND #1 hits in January.

It’s good to have you loyal members of the DC Nation with us during these exciting times. As we get closer to the end of an epic 2010, we are pleased to tell you that 2011 is going to be even more amazing. We are in full gear with plans for your favorite characters, and the list of new ideas is growing every day. It’s fitting, then during this period where we are working with you in mind, that we welcome you into our home city for the New York City Comic Con. It’s the perfect time and the perfect show for you to come in and see what we’re doing on our industry, leading panels, meet your favorite creators and hang out in the DC Comics booth. For us this is like a home playoff game in front of our fans, and we plan on making it one heck of a show for everybody in attendance.

Speaking of everybody in attendance, check out this list of DC talent who will be appearing at the show:

Neal Adams, Art Baltazar, Tony Bedard, Cliff Chiang, Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, Tony Daniel, Shane Davis, Dan DiDio, David Finch, Franco, Keith Giffen, Cully Hamner, Adam Hughes, Jock, Geoff Johns, JT Krul, Andy Kubert, Joe Kubert, Jim Lee, Jeff Lemire, Paul Levitz, Francis Manapul, Dustin Nguyen, Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Prado, Ivan Reis, James Robinson, Nicola Scott, Gail Simone, Scott Snyder, Nick Spencer, JM Straczynski, Peter Tomasi, Freddie Williams II and many, many more.

That is one serious list of writers and artists. It’s pretty obvious that you should be doing everything you can to get to the Javits Center in New York City from October 8th through October 10th. If you can make it, be sure to head directly to the DC Booth (#2243), and if you can’t join us please be sure to check out The Source (dcublog.com) for constant updates from the show.

Be seeing you in New York,

Ian Sattler – Senior Story Editor, DCU