Bruce Wayne’s been building his global empire of Batman, Incorporated. But now and again, he still needs to reach out to an old friend for a helping hand.

In writer/artist David Finch’s Batman: The Dark Knight series, that old friend is old indeed: Etrigan the Demon has been around for a looooong time. And judging by Finch’s amazing pencils, well, I’m not sure just how much of a help Etrigan is going to be for Bruce.

Finch was nice enough to provide a little insight into the magic that awaits:

“Batman is a global brand, with corporate funding and vigilante operations worldwide, but Bruce has been fighting for Gotham City his whole adult life. And he can’t walk away that easily. Gotham’s villians band together to remind him who his real enemy is, and his friends need  him more than ever. Batman is building an empire, but its foundation is showing deep cracks.

“And there’s a wildcard. Arcane forces have been unleashed in  Gotham, and they very quickly threaten to turn Gotham City into hell on earth. Batman enlists the help of Etrigan the Demon, who has intimate knowledge of the threat he faces, but Etrigan has loyalties of his own, and helping Batman puts him at odds with his masters. He’s been demoted in the hierarchy of hell, but when he’s offered the honor of being a rhymer once again if he betrays Batman, he has a terrible decision to make. Meanwhile Batman’s attention is almost completely consumed by the beautiful  Dawn Golden, who he’s been trying to rescue from capture. He becomes so obsessed with finding and saving her, that he goes to places within himself that he has always held in check. And he doesn’t see the forces that are aligning themselves against him. There would be no hope if it weren’t for an unlikely new friend who is there to help when he needs it the most. But helping Batman comes at a high price.”

I’ve said it before and will say it again, Finch is one of the most talented and nicest people in the comic book industry. But what’s it like to actually work with him as his editor? Maybe we should ask Mike Marts.

“There are many great things about working with David Finch, but one of the main points that sticks out is his willingness to be a part of the Batman creative team. When David first signed on board to write and pencil a Batman book for us, one of the first things he asked for was to be brought up to speed on current continuity and what the other Bat-titles were up to. Other creators in his position might have wanted to do “their own thing” or enact their own “take” on the character. But not David—he wanted to dive headfirst into the continuity pool and expressed a strong desire to interact with Scott Snyder, Grant Morrison, Tony Daniel and the other Bat-writers. That says a lot to me about a creator. I know we’re going to get nothing but amazing stories from David for a long time to come.”

Legacy is a big part of the DC Universe. Through the years, Batman has mentored many Robins: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne. Each hero, in their own way, reflects their times.

In 2011, readers will see a decidedly darker side to the shadow of the Bat and its legacy. In BATMAN, Tony Daniel is chronicling the saga of the next generation of the Falcone Crime Family. While, in DETECTIVE COMICS, writer Scott Snyder, and artists Jock and Francesco Francavilla have embarked on an epic story about just how far the apple drops from the tree.

Just how ambitious are the plans for DETECTIVE COMICS in 2011? Scott Snyder’s been kind enough to pull back the curtain, just a little, on the mysteries that will unfold:

“In just the first few months of the new year, we’ll be introducing you to a host of characters we’re very excited about. Some, like Sonya Zucco, daughter of Tony Zucco, the man who killed Dick’s parents, will be brand new. Others, like vicious gangster and pirate Tiger Shark are re-imaginings of colorful old foes. You’ll even see our own twisted take on the clown prince of crime! And of course, you’ll see a lot more of a character I’m very, very thrilled to write, – Commissioner Jim Gordon’s son, James Jr., who, after years away from Gotham, has recently returned with his own mysterious agenda – and who, if Barbara is to be believed, might just be one of the scariest sociopaths ever to walk the Gotham streets…”

It’s rare enough that a creator comes along who can both write and draw, but it’s even more impressive when one is able to deliver an outstanding product month after month on an ongoing title.

Tony Daniel’s done amazing work with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne in the pages of BATMAN, not only as artist but the current ongoing writer. Batman and Robin’s lives won’t be getting any easier in 2011, and Tony’s provided a few words to tease some of the stories he’s working on for this year:

“BATMAN in 2011 will prove rife full of challenges for Dick Grayson in Gotham City. While the Falcones are digging deeper into the business affairs of Gotham, someone has decided to help TWO-FACE return to glory. But are there ulterior motives at play? What role does Riddler play in all this and what does he want out of it? And with Catgirl being more of a menace than a hero, will she work through her nine lives before Batman to save her…from herself? Dick Grayson has a tough road ahead as Batman but he’ll forge ahead the best way he knows how—as guardian, protector, and savior of Gotham City.”

Tony’s next issue is BATMAN #706, which hits stores this month. Check out a preview below!

So, there’s a special cameo at the end of BATMAN BEYOND #1 (now on sale) and it’s pretty sweet.

To check out what I’m talking about, click the link to read this full post below. If you haven’t yet checked out the issue at your local comic shop (or the DC Digital online store), then consider yourself warned: spoilers are after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

If we’ve learned anything from Paul Cornell and Scott McDaniel’s Batman and Robin issues, it’s that The Absence isn’t quite all there up in her noggin, and I’m not just talking about the giant hole in her head. The lady’s scary-crazy.

You might’ve also learned just how well Paul Cornell can write a cool villain — if you’re a Batman fan who hasn’t yet checked out his killer Lex Luthor stories occurring in ACTION COMICS, you’re missing out.

BATMAN ROBIN #19 wraps up the three-part “The Sum of Her Parts” story and is on sale next week. Pete Tomasi and Patrick Gleason will be taking the Batman and Robin reigns with issue #20.

2010 was a big year for Batwoman, with the publication of the beautiful hardcover of BATWOMAN: ELEGY and issue #0 of generating flat out rave reviews in the press. 2011 promises even bigger and better things with the launch of the eagerly anticipated BATWOMAN ongoing series.

For insight into what’s in store for Kate Kane, we reached out to J.H. Williams:

“We’re very excited over the things we’ve come up with for Batwoman. Many layers to the story will unfold as the series progresses, and we’ll be going for a genre bending approach to things. We’re starting things off very much in a gothic horror type of story, and this will dovetail into more of a classic spy espionage plot with a touch Tarantino like structure, that in turn dovetails into more of a fantasy epic. The interesting thing about this genre bending plot movement is that these stories will be interconnected by an overall arcing plot. And while doing so, some of our main goals are dealing with the fall out between Kate Kane and her father Colonel Jacob Kane over the lies about her twin sister’s death from when they were children. This is stemming from events in the BATWOMAN: ELEGY book. We are also going to be creating a rogues gallery for Batwoman. Right now she really only has Alice and the Religion Of Crime. While those elements are great, we feel that Batwoman’s longevity as a strong character will be greatly enhanced by building her a mythos of villains that she can call her own, and we’ve got some very mean gruesome ones on the way. Detective Maggie Sawyer will also have a major role in the series as we explore the possibilities in Kate’s personal life and how they relate to her being Batwoman. We’re going to explore Batwoman’s relationship with Flamebird (Bette Kane, Kate’s cousin) in some very interesting ways. And while all of this is going on, a very powerful governmental agency is going to be breathing down her neck. As the series rolls out you can expect horror, action, intrigue, fantasy, heroism, and a whole lot of villainy.”

The collaborative process on comic books is always notable and never more so than with the new series. J.H. and W. Haden Blackman are co-writing the series and J.H. and Amy Reeder are re-defining the very concept of artistic collaboration with amazing visuals, along with award winning colorist Dave Stewart.

What’s that writing process like? Take it away, Mr. Blackman.

“The writing process is pretty organic. We usually start with a bunch of disconnected ideas – scenes, snippets of dialogue, a villain, a big set-piece, the fate of a specific character – and work together to put those into a coherent structure with an actual character arc. We go back and forth between being very freeform and creative, and then knuckling down and focusing on nuts-and bolts structure; I’ve actually been really pleasantly surprised that as a team, we’ve been able to transition back and forth so easily. Then for any given issue, we both write first drafts of different scenes – but again, it’s a very organic process. If one of us has a strong vision for how a panel or sequence plays out, or can hear a particular conversation in our head, then we run with that scene. We then compile these scenes into a draft for the entire issue and spend hours on the phone hashing out choreography, rewriting dialogue, and smoothing out all the little details.

“When we first starting working on this title, I thought I’d be most excited about writing all the big superhero moments. And those are certainly a lot of fun to write, but the more I get to know these characters, the more I enjoy the quieter, more personal moments – the complexities of Kate’s relationships with her father, Bette, and Maggie all allow for a lot of great scenes and exchanges.”

And here’s what Amy Reeder had to say about the art for the series:

“JH had the idea to collaborate on the interiors of the 0 issue, something to involve me in the tease of the sort of art that’s to come on the series. Starting with issue 1, we will be trading off arcs as you might usually expect. He will be drawing issues 1-5 and I’ll be drawing 6-11. In addition, we’ll each be doing a cover for the issues. I’ll be drawing the variants for JH’s issues, and he’ll be drawing the variants for mine! I’m so happy to be involved to this degree and hope that the end product is a seamless collaboration.”

Readers who picked up BATWOMAN #0 got an early sneak peak at JH Williams’ uncolored art from the first issue of the ongoing series. In case you missed it, here are those amazing pages, along with another page of art by JH and Amy Reeder’s stunning variant cover to issue 1.

Tim Drake’s fought a lot of nightmarish villains – but the true enemy in RED ROBIN #19 may actually be a nightmare. The strange, backwards world Tim’s woken up in may actually all be in his head… or is it?

RED ROBIN #19 co-stars Tamara Fox as an angry, talking baby and hits stores next Wednesday.

… I had you at angry talking baby, right?

A new status quo. Those words are thrown around, a lot, in the comic book industry. But that’s exactly what New York Times bestselling writer Grant Morrison and team have created with BATMAN, INC.

Bruce Wayne has extended Batman’s mission—and brand—globally.

So far, we’ve met England’s Knight & Squire, Mr. Unknown (the Batman of Japan) and El Gaucho from Argentina’s Batman. Judging from this advance look at Yanick Paquette’s gorgeous art from an upcoming issue of BATMAN, INCORPORATED, the international action and intrigue are only ramping up in the coming months.

Grant Morrison sent a few words to share with SOURCE readers about what lies ahead:

“Bruce Wayne’s back from the dead with barely a moment to catch his breath before he must prepare for the battle of his life in BATMAN INC.

“On the way towards this ultimate confrontation, Batman and El Gaucho, Argentina’s No.1 crimebuster, face a terrifying new villain whose world-shaking masterplan stretches across 2 decades, 3 countries and 3 interlocked issues, which also feature Batwoman, a whole new team of British heroes and the debut of The Batman of Africa, in a dark and twisted super-espionage thriller.

“And waiting in the wings are team-ups with Chief-Man-of-Bats, Batgirl and a mind-blowing CGI adventure with Oracle, as piece by piece, we learn the secrets of Batman Inc. and find out what Bruce is REALLY up to!”

(January 5th, 2011) DC Comics announced today that BATMAN BEYOND #1 and further issues in the ongoing series will be available digitally on ComiXology, the PlayStation Network and at DCComics.com on the same day it goes on sale at comic book retailers. This was announced today by DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee and DC Entertainment SVP, Digital, Hank Kanalz.

“Batman Beyond was a critically acclaimed, fan favorite animated series that still has a large number of fans to this day,” said Hank Kanalz, SVP Digital, DC Entertainment, “By releasing the ongoing comic series digitally, we’re hoping we reach that audience and bring back any fans of the show who may be lapsed comic readers.”

“This year’s Batman Beyond comic book miniseries really caught on, and the fan reaction to the character’s return was so great that we decided to continue it as an ongoing series,” said Jim Lee, Co-Publisher, DC Comics, “As a publisher, we’ve decided to up the ante even further by releasing Batman Beyond digitally day and date with print to ensure that we’re reaching the broadest possible reader audience.”

Written by Adam Beechen with art by Ryan Benjamin and John Stanisci, BATMAN BEYOND #1 tells the continuing story of Terry McGinnis, the successor to Bruce Wayne and the Batman legacy, set well into the DC Universe’s future. Last year’s BATMAN BEYOND miniseries and the original 24-issue series are currently available digitally.

Day and date digital comics will match the print cover price of $2.99. Other upcoming titles to be available day and date include JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #17 & #18, YOUNG JUSTICE #0 and DRIVER SPECIAL #1.

It is based on a book that is an Eisner Award winner and a New York Times bestseller. It’s a personal story with an epic scope. It’s iconic and classic, yet modern and daring. Yes, we’re talking about ALL-STAR SUPERMAN.

It’s no hyperbole to say that Warner Home Video’s upcoming animated ALL-STAR SUPERMAN film is eagerly anticipated and the good folks at WHV have been kind enough to send THE SOURCE an exclusive still. . .

We’re getting closer and closer to the release date, February 22. I’ve had the good fortune to see a number of clips from the film. It looks stunning. And how about that voice cast? James Denton is Superman. Christina Hendricks is Lois Lane. Anthony LaPaglia voices Lex Luthor. Emmy Award winner Ed Asner is Perry White

There’s also an amazing documentary with Grant Morrison and Dan DiDio talking about the making of the ALL-STAR SUPERMAN comic books.

Grant’s enthusiasm for Superman, for the comic books and for the animated film are undeniable. But who am I to speak for Grant?

“It took only a single viewing for ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to become one of my all-time favourite superhero movies. The adaptation by Bruce, Dwayne and the team is quirky, epic and heartbreaking and I don’t think I’ve seen anything else quite like it. A triumph, as they say!”

Hey, Mad Men fans, did I mention Christina Hendricks is Lois Lane? Some things deserve repeating… Am I right?

I’ll be watching this one on February 22nd, along with everyone else.