A while back, we unveiled some details about DCUO: LEGENDS, the new, biweekly series that would be set in the same universe as SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT’s own DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, which hits in early 2011.

Well, we’ve got more for you, and some jaw-droppingly beautiful art that’s sure to get you psyched for not only the game, but the book.

First up the creative: On the writing side, we have Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman. Neither is a stranger to superhero comics, and fans and critics alike have been buzzing about Bedard’s work on R.E.B.E.L.S. and GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Wolfman, of course, is no stranger to comics, having penned inconic runs on TEEN TITANS, SUPERMAN and the legendary CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS – additionally, Marv’s a key part of the DCUO writing team. So who better to take point on telling tales set in that universe?

Artistically, we have two superstar talents handling the covers to the first two issues in Ed Benes and the variant to #1 by Ryan Sook. And while I can gush about them to no end, why not just take a look at each cover? Sook’s, in particular, evokes recent DCUO footage in a way that’s bound to get gamers and comic fans excited:

For the interiors, we’ve got DCU vets Howard Porter and Adriana Melo. And if this sequence below doesn’t get you jazzed for the comic – and the game – well, I don’t know what to tell you.

But that’s not all. In addition to the art, news and all around goodness above, we’ve also got NINE – yes, nine – exclusive screen shots from DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, courtesy of our friends at Sony Online Entertainment. What a nice way to kick off the week, huh?

Before we roll into the full list of BRIGHTEST DAY solicits, we thought this merited a mention. Heck, the name alone gave us pause. “Aquawar”? As BRIGHTEST DAY barrels toward its grand finale, things heat up for one of the main protagonists and his supporting cast — it’s too early to get into details, but how about a look at the cover to February’s BRIGHTEST DAY #19 and the other key BRIGHTEST DAY titles and a few more clues below?

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If that stack comics on my desk (which I’ve kindly reposted above) from yesterday wasn’t clue enough, let me be frank: it’s an exciting time for Batman, and for Batman fans, like me. November lit the fuse and things are not slowing down. Come February, we’ve got the launch of J.H. Williams III and co.’s BATWOMAN ongoing, featuring co-writer W. Haden Blackman. The much-loved GREEN LANTERN CORPS creative team of Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason step in as the regular team on BATMAN AND ROBIN and we get to see COMMISSIONER GORDON artist Francisco Francavilla stretch out and handle the art chores for an entire issue of DETECTIVE COMICS, with AMERICAN VAMPIRE creator Scott Snyder. Did you see that cover and layouts we teased earlier this week? Lovely stuff. So, yes. February is a big month for all things Batman. Click below for more clues and details.

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Bruce Wayne travelled through time, a living, temporal bomb – teeming with highly dangerous Omega energy. He was a caveman, a pirate, a pilgrim, a cowboy, a gumshoe… something with computer tentacles from the far future… And when he finally got home, when Bruce Wayne finally beat death, beat fate, conquered time itself, what happened?

BATGIRL SLAPPED HIM IN THE FACE.

Right across that beautiful, battle-scarred, chiseled chin of his. It was a gut reaction. He put her through a test she knew she didn’t need, after a year of Stephanie proving to the entire world that she deserved a second chance. She was offended. Disgusted. And in that moment… she had a natural, human reaction. And then what happened after that?

Batgirl apologized.

Because Stephanie Brown is a person. Who is also a hero. And a girl. But first and foremost, she’s a person… who watches Futurama reruns on basic cable (but that’s beside the point). Knowing that is key to writing Batgirl (not the Zoidberg part; the person part.)

She’s a human being. Free to make her own mistakes, to have her own triumphs. Sure, she has limitations… but Stephanie knows what they are. And she isn’t going to let anything hold her back. Batgirl’s becoming more self-aware, as we all do when we’re her age. She’s growing.

Have I ever been a nineteen year old girl who moonlights as a costumed vigilante?

The short answer is “No.” But I have been nineteen – just like Stephanie. Right at the edge of undeniable, honest-to-goodness adulthood. She’s finding herself, and in the pages of Batgirl, we’re right there beside her, along for the ride.

And much like everyone’s first year of college, Stephanie’s is going to be a bumpy one. Filled with Reapers and Witch Boys. Beetles and Bathounds. Deadlines and finals. Even though extraordinary things come her way, there’s always the “normal” thrown into the mix.

Batgirl by her very nature should be immediately relatable to the reader. That’s why we gave her a costume where you can see her eyes and, more importantly, her smile. She’s a hero with emotion, which is both her biggest vulnerability… and her greatest asset. And in that space in between, that’s where Batgirl’s sense of hope comes from.

Hope for a brighter tomorrow. Hope for a safer Gotham. Hope for a second chance at… everything. Batgirl not only wants the world to be a better place, but she believes that it’s possible. Which means that (hopefully) Stephanie Brown is just like you and me. Except that she knows some karate.

I do not know karate. Kudos to you if you do.

As an unabashed Batman fan, this makes for a good Thursday.

Yesterday, we gave you a glimpse at artist Francesco Francavilla’s lovely cover for DETECTIVE COMICS #874 — but what’s the story behind how we got there? For that, we went right to the artist for a quick recap of what went into that lovely piece of art. Take it away, Francesco:

This is the cover of the first full feature dedicated to Commissioner Gordon you will see during 2011 on Detective Comics. That’s right, the back-up features will disappear after #873 to become full feature every 3-4 issue of Jock’s Batman feature. In Scott’s master plan, the Commissioner Gordon story is strictly correlated to what happens in the Batman story, so we thought this was the best way to get the two storylines run to parallel while still adapting to the new 20 pages format.

As always I try to do, I wanted this cover to reflect a bit the story inside issue 874, so I asked Scott for a brief synopsis and for what he would like to see on the cover. Once acquired that info, I produced the 2 layouts you see here. Everyone at DC loved the first concept (which was my favorite too) but we wanted to make sure there was some of the elements of the second concept too (the search in the woods). So I added some foliage to the insert image with the doll and voila’, you got the cover you saw yesterday.

Little trivia: the eye missing from the doll and ending up as something the kid is toying with was something I came up while working on the final inks (concept and pencils had the doll with both eyes and the kid just playing with a stick)

Hope you guys enjoy it and don’t forget to pick up Detective #871 at the end of November

Comic Book Resources posted a really cool Superman feature today. In the piece, interviewer Jeffrey Renaud picks renowned boxing expert Bert Randolph Sugar’s brain to analyze the matchup between Superman and the great Muhammad Ali.

Boxing fanatics won’t need this introduction, but for those of you who don’t follow the sport: Bert Sugar is one of THE premier writers on boxing. He has written almost 80 books of analysis and history of the sport both in and outside of the ring.

Check out Sugar’s reasoning behind his pick in the Superman / Ali matchup over at Comic Book Resources!

It’s no secret – especially if you’ve been reading this here blog – that SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE has press and fans alike talking about it. In fact, the book debuted at #1 on THE NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list for graphic novels.

So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the creative team behind SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE will be reuniting for a sequel.

It’s too early to talk art, story or release date, but make sure to stay tuned to The Source for more info. We checked in with the DC Comics Co-Publishers, Jim Lee and Dan DiDio for their thoughts on the success of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE.

“Joe created a Superman for the modern reader – a Clark Kent that’s conflicted and inexperienced but also focused and determined to embrace his destiny,” DiDio said. “We couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.”

“Shane has elevated his game with his artwork on EARTH ONE,” Lee said. “Every once in a while, you get the chance to see an artist really blossom with a project – where everything clicks and the pieces come together. This is it for him. Complemented by Inker Sandra Hope’s slick line and Colorist Barbara Ciardo’s haunting palette, Shane truly creates a unique, new world.”

With the added assignment of a sequel, Straczynski has gone from a pretty busy guy to a very busy guy, which means some adjustments have to be made to ensure a top quality second installment to EARTH ONE.

Starting with SUPERMAN #707 and WONDER WOMAN #605, Straczynski will step back as the monthly scripter of both books, opening the door for two rising talents to step in and complete the books’ respective storylines using JMS’s story notes. Straczynski’s influence will be apparent in both titles – Superman’s Walk Across America continues, the mysteries surrounding Wonder Woman barrel toward a conclusion and in due time you’ll have a second volume of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE to put on the shelf next to the first.

To take on the SUPERMAN scripting assignment we have writer Chris Roberson, who was tabbed for the assignment by Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson. Roberson – who many Vertigo and FABLES readers know, wrote the recent CINDERELLA mini-series –will be stepping onto SUPERMAN with January’s #707. Roberson will be joined by guest artist Alan Goldman on #707 and regular artist Eddy Barrows with SUPERMAN #708 to complete the historic “Grounded” storyline in tandem with JMS.

On WONDER WOMAN, Editor Brian Cunningham brought in writer Phil Hester to join series artist Don Kramer and Straczynski, starting with WONDER WOMAN #605. Hester is no stranger to DC, which has featured his work as both writer and artist on a number of titles, including EL DIABLO, GREEN ARROW and NIGHTWING. WONDER WOMAN #605 will be co-penciled by artist Eduardo Pansica, who will also be the artist on #606. Kramer will return to full art duties with #607.

“I’d originally come to DC to do the Superman Earth One book which, at the time, was top secret so nobody knew about it,” Straczynski said, “and filled out on Brave and the Bold for a while to have fun and get up to speed on the DCU. When I was done with SEO I took on the Superman and Wonder Woman monthlies on the theory that I’d have time to script the full 12 issues before bounding back onto Earth One. But when the huge numbers started coming in on Earth One, and the need to fastrack the next volumes became evident in order to keep the momentum going, I knew there was no way in god’s green earth that I could write that and the monthlies simultaneously. Since DC has had my notes and outlines from day one on both titles, so they’re still my stories, it makes sense to let Chris and Phil keep going from the story beats I’ve set up. I’ll dive in on occasion as needed for important story points. It’s still my story, I’m involved in both books, and they’re going to continue in the direction we set up. I’m looking forward to seeing what Chris and Phil have in store.

“Meanwhile, I’m taking full advantage of the situation to take a one- to five-year sabbatical from writing monthlies in order to go exclusively into writing graphic novels like Superman Earth One and Samaritan X, along with the occasional high-visibility minseries. I think that’s where the business is going, and creatively, limited series and graphic novels have always been my strong suit in that they let me tell cohesive stories with a beginning, middle and end. They can also be written and drawn before anything is ever announced or solicited, as was the case with Earth One, which has been one of the greatest and most creatively rewarding experience of my career. At some point I’m sure I’ll come back to monthlies — it’s just too darn much fun — but for the next one to five years, it’s strictly GNs and miniseries, with Superman Earth One being the first priority, followed by Samaritan X.”

We touched base with Dan DiDio for his take on the plans and upcoming creative changes:

“We were so pleased with the response to SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE that it made sense to fast-track a sequel, and we definitely wanted to go back to the same amazing creative team. We knew we had to make some creative adjustments to the two ongoing books Joe was involved with to ensure his stories reached their natural conclusion and to also guarantee their arrival in stores in a timely manner. We firmly believe this plan is the strongest solution – it guarantees a fitting conclusion to two of the most historic and important storylines to ever involve Superman and Wonder Woman, while locking in another epic SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE adventure.”