John Rozum called me today to tell me that he’s leaving STATIC SHOCK. DC Comics has had a great relationship with John for 15 years, and he and I had a great conversation about new ideas, new concepts and moving forward. We’re all excited to see what comes next.

Bienvenido to Week Dos of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 and the excitement keeps building.

I have to say one of the best perks of being the Executive Editor of the DCU as the New 52 had its genesis was sitting down with Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee, Group Editors Mike Marts and Matt Idelson, VP of Art Direction and Design Mark Chiarello and Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras in our “War Room” with a photo of George C. Scott from Dr. Strangelove taped on the door. In this tiny, windowless (and almost airless – I know, doesn’t sound like much of a perk) room, we devised who would do what in the New 52. On the wall, we shifted around index cards that had series titles to be matched with separate cards for both a writer and artist (color-coded by Coordinating Editor Elisabeth Gehrlein, who was also in attendance). It was exciting, thrilling and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding as we assembled a creative team for each and ever book. Some were no-brainers: GREEN LANTERN … uh, Geoff Johns with Dough Mahnke. Duh.

Other pairings were inspired, like FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.HA.D.E. The title alone had moxie. We felt the right man to steer Frank’s adventures would be Jeff Lemire, who had already done an amazing job writing the patchwork man’s adventures during FLASHPOINT. Jeff’s take on the character infused him with a lot of heart (albeit someone else’s heart). Jeff also suggested tapping series artist Alberto Ponticelli. And oh man, Alberto’s a master with monsters and wild settings, not to mention an incredible storyteller. I love Father Time (so will you once you read it)!

As we got going, we started to see what other genres we could explore. The sky was not even the limit, nor was time. We headed from the Dark Ages with Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves’ DEMON KNIGHTS to looking to get back to the future with LEGION LOST along with Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods. Demon or Legion fan or not, just know these books will affect the present of the DCU; then (coming in Week 4) get ready to ride into the Wild West in gritty Gotham City with Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Moritat; and walk the modern- day bloody streets of Boston in I, VAMPIRE by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino.

Like kids in a candy store, we were all excited by each new prospect. SUPERNATURAL writer Adam Glass writing SUICIDE SQUAD! DEATHSTROKE and MR. TERRIFIC getting their own books! But one of the real treats for me (aside from JUSTICE LEAGUE) was Dan DiDio’s suggestion to bring back RESURRECTION MAN, a book I had originally edited. Reunited with the undying Mitch Shelley’s original creators Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, now joined with the artistic talent of Fernando Dagnino, we were all ready to kill, killa again!

We’ve had our fun, and now it’s time to share. And with all the new ways to enjoy our comics with platforms on digital tablets and smart phones, in addition to the print versions, this could not be a more exciting time to become a DC Comics reader! So come back again, this is only Week 2! We’ve only begun…

Eddie Berganza,
Executive Editor

It’s that time of year again. To help you prepare to return to the classroom, check out Beast Boy and Terra’s checklist of back-to-school essentials below.

And remember not to carry any chalk if you don’t want a hungry Kroc following you around!

TINY TITANS #44 hits stores on September 21st.

“If that scarab pops back up, I want any Green Lanterns within five parsecs to know it.”
– Green Lantern in BLUE BEETLE #1

Two weeks ago, iFANBOY named the highly anticipated JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1 as their Pick of the Week and followed up last week by selecting ANIMAL MAN # 1 (which has quickly established itself as one of the critic darlings of DC Comics-The New 52). Word broke late last night that iFANBOY picked DEMON KNIGHTS for this week’s Pick of the Week, keeping alive their streak of tabbing titles from DC Comics: The New 52.

Here’s what Conor Kilpatrick had to say:

“This is superhero fantasy done with a modern sensibility. And it is tons of fun. Writer Paul Cornell is well matched with artist Diogenes Neves. He has a very detail intensive style that does not skimp on the backgrounds and thus does a wonderful job of setting the scene and establishing that this is indeed not a world that you are used to reading in DC comic books. There are some wonderfully frenetic action scenes in this issue that Neves handles wonderfully, and the final page is really a sight to behold.”

iFANBOY wasn’t the only site to pay extra attention to DEMON KNIGHTS. POP MATTERS interviewed Cornell three hours in advance of the release of the first issue.

They declared:

“In a heartbeat, Demon Knights is everything The Demon should always have been. A love story amidst an epic fantasy setting is an example of Cornell’s gift as a storyteller, his ability to find the edge, the new. A love triangle just propels the story beyond expectations.

“DC’s New 52 is very much about a reintroduction of the classic. Sometimes characters have been forgotten, sometimes they’re weighed down by decades of continuity. But the company-wide reboot is about bringing creators and longtime readers alike into viewing these characters afresh, and to engage new readers, infecting them with the same enthusiasm the very first generation of comic book readers felt.”

“’I think the New 52 reaches out to all sorts of genres’, Cornell continues, ‘and it say to a mainstream audience that we know they don’t just like superhero comics. Demon Knights seeks to satisfy those who like that kind of gritty, no safety net, fantasy epic’.”

Meanwhile, Turnstylenews.com talked to Cornell and provided a thought-provoking look at the series:

“The book puts the classic Jack Kirby creation “Etrigan the Demon” — an ill-tempered fiend with a penchant for rhyming bound by the wizard Merlin to the mortal Jason Blood, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table — at the center of a motley group of characters in the medieval age. Ten years ago, the idea of a medieval fantasy ensemble book being part of the vanguard of a publishing initiative would have seemed preposterous. Yet, in the wake of the Lord of the Rings films, fantasy has never been stronger as a genre, and dark fantasy is newly ascendant.”

Their coverage has already been picked up by the HUFFINGTON POST and other outlets.

To be continued…

“The dream isn’t over.”
- Kara in SUPERGIRL #1

We’ve been thrilled by the response to same-day digital so far – the surge in popularity of digital comics has driven the DC app up the charts.  If you haven’t downloaded your favorite titles yet, here’s a quick overview of how you can access digital comics.

The Web

Visit read.DCComics.com and click on “read online.” You can then browse the digital comics catalog (here’s a quick shortcut to all DC Comics – The New 52 titles). To purchase and download you’ll need to set up a DC Comics username and password. Once you pick the books you want to download add them to your shopping cart and then click “check out” where you’ll be asked to provide payment information. Then you can access your purchase via the “My Comics” tab in the top navigation section.

Mobile

Download the DC Comics app on iOS, Android or WP7. When you enter the app you can login with your existing DC Comics account username and password or you can create a new one. If you decide to purchase and download a digital comic the fees will be charged to your mobile operating system account (so if you’re downloading to your iPad then your iTunes account will be charged, similarly on Android your Android Marketplace account will be charged).

The good news is once you set up a username and password you can use it across the board on the web and on mobile in the DC Comics app, and once you download a comic it can be accessed on both the web and on your mobile device. Here are a few handy links if you forget your username or password.

Now that you know how to access digital comics – don’t forget to check out today’s new releases on your phone or online.

ACTION COMICS #1 and BATGIRL #1 have sold out again and are slated to go back to press for new, third printings.

Already checked out issue #1? Below is the official first look at the cover to BATGIRL #4. And in case you missed it earlier this week, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES debuted the cover to ACTION COMICS #4.

Like the phoenix, Mitch Shelley rises from his own ashes each time he dies. Unlike the phoenix, Mitch Shelley is not a mythical bird of fire found in the mythologies of everyone from the Phoenicians to the Romans. Mitch Shelley (a.k.a. the RESURRECTION MAN) has his own mythology based here in the halls of the DC Universe …

The first time I “met” RESURRECTION MAN, he was trying to help Supergirl save a little boy from cancer in 2008. The next time I ran into him was last year in BRIGHTEST DAY #13 when Deadman was trying to figure out who the White Lantern wanted to help save the world. Then I learned that back in the late 90’s, Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning worked with editor Eddie Berganza to create a cult hit series following a man who dies a lot—and each and every time he dies, he returns to life with a new power.

What’s great about RESURRECTION MAN is that the story walks the line between science fiction (his resurrections are fueled by man-made tektite nanites) and the supernatural (agents of both heaven and hell want him for something). Without revealing too much, I can say, it’s got something for everyone.

RESURRECTION MAN is resurrecting once again as one of the new “dark” titles in the New 52, and will be scribed by creators Abnett & Lanning with art by Fernando Dagnino. Make sure you check it out…

RESURRECTION MAN #1 is in stores today.

DC Comics

DC Comics – The New 52 and acclaimed writer Duane Swierczynski introduced a bold new take on the BIRDS OF PREY team dynamic – and in the fourth issue, a shocking revelation is going to upset the status quo all over again. Featuring a special guest appearance by Batgirl, the explosive issue’s going to rewrite the rules – so don’t get too comfortable, because anything can happen.

“One of my favorite thrillers is Ira Levin’s A KISS BEFORE DYING, because right in the middle of the novel…well, the cliche phrase would be, ‘Levin pulls the rug right out from under you,’ but that doesn’t do his legendary plot twist justice,” said Swierczynski. “Forget the rug being pulled out from under you… when you reach that point in KISS, it’s as if someone’s rolled up that rug and proceeded to use it to beat the living crap out of you. That’s what I’m shooting for with this first arc of BIRDS OF PREY. I won’t tell you where it is (other than somewhere in issue #4) But If I’m doing my job, you’ll be relaxing, enjoying your comic, and then…”

BIRDS OF PREY #4 goes on sale December 21, but we’ve got a first look at the cover by David Finch and Richard Friend.