There isn’t much I can say about this cover — aside from the fact that Batman and Batwoman are both on it — but who needs my commentary when you have art this lovely by Mr. J.H. Williams? Nobody, I say.

It’s been a long week, Source gang, so we’ll try to keep this simple. The DCU titles make a regular habit of having some cool and different variant covers, so why not show off a few here from time to time. Makes sense, no? Here goes.

DETECTIVE COMICS #859 variant by JOCK.

And a lovely variant by SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN artist Gary Frank, for the third issue of the series.

Want more? Sure, we all do. How about the variant cover to WORLD’S FINEST #2? That’s doable. All you need to do is sign up for DC MOBILE NATION by texting ‘DC NATION’ to 62407. And, voila, pictures.

The shocking and tragic origin of Batwoman starts here, in a haunting, evocative issue penned by writer Greg Rucka with art from the masterful J.H. Williams III. With “Go,” Rucka and Williams reveal the true story behind the kidnapping of Kate Kane and her family by terrorists and how these events tragically alter Kate — and her family’s life — forever. All this and the mystery behind the villainous Alice revealed.

Check out a few pages below, plus a peek at THE QUESTION co-feature, as Renee’s search for a missing girl comes to a bittersweet end, leaving more questions behind. Well, if Renee survives the night.
DETECTIVE COMICS #858 hits 10/28.

Happy Friday, Source gang. It’s been a long week, so why not take a few minutes from your busy day and unwind with a few interesting interviews and reviews?

• NEWSARAMA’s Chris Arrant talks shop with DETECTIVE COMICS writer Greg Rucka about all things Batwoman in this all-encompassing and insightful read.

• IGN’s Dan Phillips talks up JMS and artist Jesus Saiz’s second issue of THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, noting that “JMS and Saiz have crafted two timeless, poignant, entertaining and very moving adventure stories that make profound statements on DC heroes of both the iconic and obscure varieties. This is the type of superhero series I always yearned for but never thought enough of to demand.”

• AIN’T IT COOL NEWS reviews the latest issue of writer Chris Yost and artist Ramon Bachs’ RED ROBIN series.

• And last, but certainly not least, CBR’s Doug Zawisza talks up the final issue of the BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN mini-series, calling artist Eddy Barrows’ art “ raw and gritty, perfect for the battle between reanimated corpses and our heroes.”

Damian behind bars? Red Robin surrounded? Batman facing off against two new foes? This batch of covers, featuring the artistic stylings of J.H. Williams III, Tony Daniel, Dustin Nguyen and Marcus To, is light on answers but big on questions. But isn’t that what they’re for?

Take a few minutes from your day and peruse the January covers for BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM, DETECTIVE COMICS, BATMAN and RED ROBIN, won’t you?

As promised, we’ve got a look at the Batwoman feature from DETECTIVE COMICS #857, as Batwoman faces off against Alice in an attempt to stop the villainess from unleashing a toxic death cloud over all of Gotham. But Alice has more up her sleeve than just poison, and Batwoman’s life will never ever be the same again. What more do you need? Oh, right. Artwork. Well, here you go. From the team of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III, DETECTIVE COMICS #857 hits 9/23.

Have you checked out the great work writer Greg Rucka and artist Cully Hamner are doing monthly in the pages of the QUESTION co-feature in DETECTIVE COMICS? If not, you’re missing out. But here at The Source, we’re all about spotlighting all the fun stuff coming out of these offices, and THE QUESTION is no exception. In DETECTIVE COMICS #857, the Question’s search for a missing girl leads Renee to a human trafficking ring, and the Question suddenly finds herself in way over her head.

DETECTIVE COMICS #857 hits 9/23. Check back later today for a preview of the main feature, from Rucka and the super-talented J.H. Williams III.

It’s almost Friday. Half the week is over. But we’ve still got two more days before the weekend is upon us. And we’ve got a few heavy hitters. Specifically, BATMAN #694 from writer/artist Tony Daniel, a lovely J.H. Williams DETECTIVE COMICS #860 cover and last, but certainly not least, Andy Kubert’s magnificent cover to the minty-fresh BATMAN 80-PAGE GIANT. Feast your eyes, folks. All three hit in December.

We wander the DCU editorial offices pretty regularly, just to get a sense of what’s coming up in the book. More often than not, an editor will swing by with a great idea and the bulk of my job is to just nod and say “Sure! Send it over!” This was one such instance. So, without further ado, I present DETECTIVE COMICS editor Michael Siglain, who is fittingly talking about DETECTIVE COMICS. Take it away, Mike:

Want a sneak peek at the latest unbelievably awesome issue of Detective Comics from writer Greg Rucka and artist JH Williams III? Well, check out these pages!

In the fourth issue, Batwoman confronts the maniacal and evil Alice in an attempt to save the life of Colonel Kane (who just so happens to be Batwoman’s father), and the lives of everyone in Gotham City, from a lethal chemical weapons attack. Things have the potential for going very, very wrong for Batwoman—and Gotham. I’m talking cyanide-in-the-bloodstream wrong, so don’t miss this issue! (Incidentally, these are pages two and three of Detective Comics #857, which hits the stores at the end of this month.)

But we’re in a generous mood around the offices today, so how about some more beautiful pages from JH Williams III? In Detective Comics #858, which is out next month, we see a flashback of Colonel Kane under fire. Now, since we’re flashing back to an earlier time, your normal artist might just make the panel borders round, or ask for the panels to be colored in a sepia tone, but not the mighty JH Williams III! No, instead of those conventional tricks-of-the-trade, Mr. Williams decided to change his entire art style for the sequence!

Take a look:

Pretty cool, right? Just wait until you read what Greg, JH, letterer Todd Klein, and colorist Dave Stewart have in store. If you thought Elegy was amazing (and it was!), then be sure to check out Detective Comics each and every month. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams continue to put the pressure on Gotham’s newest hero with the third part of ‘Elegy,” as Batwoman unites with an unlikely ally to momentarily defeat the fairytale villain known as Alice. But when Kate is forced to attend another high society event, she soon learns that her worlds are crashing together. Want more? Check out a few pages below. And then, head on over to your local shop. Simple, right?

DETECTIVE COMICS #856 hits today.