Hi everyone! Brian Cunningham, here—editor of such titles as TITANS, R.E.B.E.L.S., POWER GIRL and more.

When I’m not editing or shirking responsibility, I like to put stuff I like in my office. Some of the stuff is kinda neat, and some of it is admittedly kinda weird. But I like it, and since I gotta look at it all day, that’s most important. I like having stuff around me that inspires me or even relaxes me during those stressful days of deadline doom.

Take my stash of gum, for instance. Anyone who knows me understands that I always have a pack of gum at the ready. It can be at a convention, in the office, anywhere. You need gum, I got gum. Much like wielding a Green Lantern power ring, one can never underestimate the might of minty fresh breath. So I put out a pack of gum on my desk to help out my fellow editors should they feel they need it.

Now if only my generosity would inspire Matt Idelson to share some of his unlimited quantities of oatmeal…

In an earlier blog post a couple months ago, I waxed poetic about my 1976 DC Comics calendar I have hanging up. But what I held back—since I can be cagey like that—was that I also have a vintage 1986 DC COMICS CALENDAR POSTER. I got one’a these suckers for Christmas in 1985 and I don’t think I took it off my bedroom wall until well in 1988, that’s how much I loved it. I mean, c’mon—Pérez Titans! Rogers and Giordano Batman! Giffen Ambush Bug! How could I ever get tired of seeing this?

And, needless to say, 1986 was a HUGE year for DC—what with DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and WATCHMEN, among many other classics—so I like to have “1986” in the back of my head when I edit. I’ll never stop reaching for those lofty heights.

The thing that gets me the most comments in my office—aside from “Uhh…why don’t you have some of your own gum…?”—is my collection of DC Direct BATMAN: BLACK and WHITE statues. I don’t have all of them, mind you, just the ones that I happen to really dig. They range from the Bob Kane version to Brian Bolland’s to my favorite, the Mike Mignola one (which captures Mike’s art so perfectly in a three-dimensional form). What’s really sick and twisted is that I’ve placed them all in chronological order—an off-hand suggestion by Alex Segura, who has quite a B:B/W statue collection of his own! Alex had no idea how brilliant that idea was, and how tailored it was to my O.C.D. mind. Makes me wish I knew exactly where the multi-era George Pérez one should go…

And that’s just a taste of the assorted stuff I have around me. Perhaps next time, if I’m feeling up to it, I may even show you my growing collection of various body parts that my boss Dan DiDio helped me acquire. We’ll see.

Hiya, folks! As the TITANS editor, I wanted to do something a little different to hype issue #17, in comic stores September 9. My first call for ideas was the issue’s writer.

“My first plot had me making out with Starfire for 22 pages,” he said. “But that got shot down for whatever reason.”

The guest writer? Pat McCallum, fresh off his stint of stalking DC editors looking for work.

So what plot was approved for the issue? “The comic book debut of a villain whose only ever appeared in the animated DC universe, some Golden Age Green Lantern cosplay and the…[dramatic pause]…DARK SECRET behind why Beast Boy can’t go by ‘Changeling’ anymore.”

Pressed for more, McCallum provided the below list, adding, “Everything here happens in the issue—really—except one. A free signed copy of Team Titans #1 to whoever spots it.”*

2 Obscure Easter Eggs that only guys like Kurt Busiek will pick up on.

3 Appearances of Beast Boy’s Pérez-era haircut.

9 Panels with Dr. Double-X

300 Pounds of masked pro wrestler hungry for egg salad

800 How many feet a disembodied head is punted

1 billion Copies sold. Beat THAT, zombie Green Lanterns!

* Offer not valid anywhere. So enjoy pages 1-5 of TITANS #17 instead.

My magic blogging eight-ball just said “Blogging Will Be Light,” so I’m going with that. Oh, and it’s a holiday weekend. So, yes. This’ll be it for today. But, we bring you some more fun news from the DCU editorial gang. Specifically, TITANS editor Brian Cunningham. What say you, BC?:

“When is Tempest coming back?”

More often than not, that’s been the question fans have asked since TITANS launched last year. A fair query, since Tempest has been AWOL from the DC Universe for seemingly longer than the Jonas Brothers have been alive.

So when we here at DC started discussing the mega-event called BLACKEST NIGHT with writer Geoff Johns, we all figured, “Let’s bring back Tempest in style.” So, bam, he’s smack in the early pages of BLACKEST NIGHT #1. If that’s not style, I don’t know what is. (This coming from a guy who still wears shirts from 1996. But let’s stay on topic here.)

Okay. So, Tempest is in BLACKEST NIGHT. Huzzah! But then we figured, “Wait. Let’s find out where he’s been first. What’s kept him from appearing all this time?” That’s where TITANS #15 comes in. We find out exactly where he’s been and what he’s been doing. It’s pretty heavy and not for non-swimmers.

With the spiritual guidance of Geoff Johns, writer J.T. Krul plumbs the depths of Garth’s soul, while also setting him up for his future in the DC Universe, which we’ll see in BLACKEST NIGHT and in the BLACKEST NIGHT: TITANS mini-series. With gorgeous art by José Luis and J.P. Mayer, I really feel that we’ll surprise people. The last page of TITANS #15 alone should certainly provoke a strong reaction.

So mark you calenders for July 15 when TITANS #15 goes on sale in comic stores. In the meantime, check out this exclusive excerpt below. It’ll whet your appetite for more Tempest. And quite possibly some shellfish.

There’s no arguing that artist Kalman Andrasofzsky is one talented guy. So why not take a look at some of his more recent work? Specifically, his covers on R.E.B.E.L.S.? We swung by Editor Brian Cunningham’s office to get the lowdown. Take it away, Brian:

“I love how people stop in my office and marvel at how effective Kalman’s covers are. And they are just so different from your traditional comic book covers. I saw some of his Star Wars work at New York Comic-Con in February, and I felt the book needed a cool sci-fi sensibility like his. It really compliments the interior art of Andy Clarke, Claude St. Aubin and Scott Hanna.

REBELS #5 really balances the innocence and the creepiness so effectively. It almost looks like a Vertigo cover with a sci-fi sensibility. This one, more than any other Kalman has done, has provoked a strong reaction with most people who have seen it prior to publication. It’s on sale now, so check it out in print!

All I told him for REBELS #6’s cover was to channel his inner Frazetta. And he hit it outta the park.

REBELS #7 was a tough nut to crack. We wanted to get that Starro starfish shadow subtly in there, but still have the drowning Vril Dox visible. It’s the type of cover where you need to look at it twice to see the subtle star shadow.

For REBELS #8, Kalman really wanted to tackle the “all-new, all-dangerous” Omega Men. Without revealing too much, Tigorr and crew are seriously amped up, and ready to kick some Starro horde butt—and Kalman ramped it up to 11.

And REBELS #9…? Well, we gotta save something for later, right?”

Did you know there are two comic conventions happening this weekend? No? For shame.

Not only are there two shows — Wizard World Philadelphia and Charlotte’s Heroes Con –but DC will have a presence at both. Our very own Dan DiDio will be holding the fort down at Philly, while Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler and Editor Brian Cunningham will be trekking to Charlotte. So, if you have a burning question about anything DCU or just want to talk about comics with some of your favorite creators, then swing on by. You can visit the Wizard and Heroes Con sites for more ticket, talent and event info. Don’t miss it.

TITANS #14 takes a closer look at Vic Stone, otherwise known as Cyborg. But what else is going on in the issue, from writer Eric Wallace and artist Mike Shoyket? We check in with TITANS Editor Brian Cunningham — along with some pages from the issue, to boot. Take it away, Brian:

“Eric really gets to the root of his characters, and he had a real jones for Cyborg; you’ll definitely see some people from Vic’s past pop up in unexpected ways. And Mike gets better with each page; I’ve had the pleasure of seeing his very first samples several years ago, and he’s come light years from that. I see even bigger things from both guys in the future.

Plus, the issue features the debut of a villain called Nano, who will also be mixing it up in Teen Titans in July and August. And you’ll see seeds planted within the story that will take fruit over the course of the next few issues of Titans.”

One of the best parts of working on The Source is getting a chance to see stuff in progress, or getting bits of info about the creative process. With that in mind, we talked TEEN TITANS Editor Brian Cunningham into giving us a look-see at what goes into creating the RAVAGER co-feature, which will kick off with TEEN TITANS #72(in stores on 6/24, natch), from writer Sean McKeever and artist Yildiray Cinar. Take it away, Brian:

“Yildiray’s such a strong storyteller that I wanted to share some of the various stages of his art.

First, he sends along rough page layouts for approval. The layout above is page 1 of the RAVAGER co-feature. Sometimes, either writer Sean McKeever, assistant editor Rex Ogle or myself will notice something amiss that affects the story and request a tweak. Yildiray is wonderful to work with, in that respect — he takes the storytelling very seriously.

This is the pencil art stage. Yildiray really thrives when it comes to adding shadows.

And then Júlio Ferreira worked his magic ink brush on the pages to great effect. Júlio really nails all the wonderful textures in Yildiray’s work.

You’ll notice in this layout for a flashback scene that Yildiray mistakenly gave Deathstroke a full goatee…

…but he gave Slade his shave in the pencil stage.

And Júlio meticulously inks it all in, adding subtle details and textures. I can’t tell you how much of a hoot it is to see pages come in from these guys every step of the way!”