A thing that lives… and fights for its soul. The shambling walking doll that is Brother Power, the Geek has been reborn in Gotham City without a home or purpose. Could destiny have something in store for this seemingly lost relic? And why does his appearance cut into Batman’s heart like none of Gotham’s strange monsters ever has before? Well, you’ll have to read the issue to find out. In the meantime, we have a very special guest post from Straczynski himself, and believe me when I say you’re all in for a treat. Take it away, Joe:

I can’t remember offhand where I was talking about it…could’ve been San Diego Comic Con, or MIT, or last night when I was having an imaginary dinner with my imaginary friend and he refused to pick up the imaginary check…not that it matters, I suppose, since the point is really what we’re driving at here, with said point being…I was talking someplaceorother and mentioned the lineup I had in mind for Brave and the Bold team-ups.

joe

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #29 hits 11/18.

The weekend’s no longer a distant mirage. It’s right around the corner. So why not spend some time with not only Etrigan the Demon, but Aquaman? Oh, and this beautifully-drawn cover is from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #32, which hits in February from J. Michael Straczynski and artist Jesus Saiz.

J. Michael Straczynski wrote to remind me that this December is the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. (I say “remind me” as if I’d been in it!) He’s not bringing it up so I can futz with its Wikipedia entry. It’s because with the current issue of THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, he sends the Flash into the thick of it…to meet the Blackhawks, no less. We’ve done a few Flash stories but you’ve never read one like this! Barry Allen battles on the side of the Allied forces in World War II, in an adventure in which every incident is as unexpected as the premise!

Talking of “allied forces,” that sure describes BRAVE & BOLD. In the book’s grand tradition, JMS is lining up some inventive and even offbeat alliances to feature every issue. Seen the Batman/Dial H for Hero adventure? Everybody’s still buzzing about that one! Snag one if your local store has any left!

In the offing is a Batman/Brother Power the Geek team-up (Brother! Power! The! Geek!). Then, Doctor Fate and Green Lantern see whether or not magic can trump willpower. Jesus Saiz is drawing that one now even as I write this, and he’s having a blast doing it! He really knocked it out of the park on that “Dial H” issue, and he gets better every month!

If you love these Silver Age characters, JMS will remind you why you do! If you never did, or you’ve never heard of them, these new stories will show you why people still talk about them…and why they endure!

(Dude, the Geek abides!)

Your pal,
–Joey

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.”

Creepy, huh?

Ever wonder what a down-and-out street thug would do with super powers?

Or what J. Michael Straczynski would do at DC Comics?

DC’s longtime superhero mash-up series THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD welcomes a new pairing of heroic proportions. J. Michael Straczynski, writer and creator of the sci-fi hit, Babylon 5 and BAFTA-award nominated screenwriter of Changeling, joins forces with rising star illustrator Jesus Saiz (OMAC PROJECT, CHECKMATE) as the series’ dynamic new writer-artist team starting with issue #27, on sale September 16.

Featuring an all-star line-up of DC favorites including Batman and The Flash teaming up with heroes like Blackhawk and Dial H for Hero, each issue is an unpredictable adventure, exploring the many dimensions of heroism.

It’s timeless stories of action and sensation, with Straczynski adding a new depth of characterization to DC’s celebrated heroes with modern perspective and style, making THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD a definite source of excellent comic storytelling and a must-read series.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #27 hits tomorrow. And we’ve got a slew of pages from the first issue.

We’ve got a ton of exciting BRAVE AND THE BOLD stuff rolling your way right here in the next week or so, but it never hurts to throw out a good teaser image to get people keyed up. And here, we have artist Jesus Saiz’s lovely cover to BRAVE AND THE BOLD #30, written by J. Michael Straczynski with interiors by Saiz. I just read the first issue myself and was even more excited for what’s to come than when I first heard the news. JMS and Saiz are really teaming up to tell some modern classics, and we’re just a few days from the launch. Until then, enjoy some Green Lantern and Dr. Fate goodness.

It’s a week of rollouts here at The Source, and to close out our Red Circle character debuts, we’ve got the final cover by Jesus Saiz featuring the new look for THE WEB. Unlike THE HANGMAN and INFERNO, which went through a few changes in the design process, THE WEB was nailed pretty close the first go ’round. Sometimes things just fall into place, what can I say? So make with the click.

It’s been a Red Circle kind of week, huh? Well, we’re not only publishing The Shield and Inferno, friends, so why stop there? As some of you might recall, The Hangman is one of the key Red Circle heroes making his DCU debut in August. He’s also one of the characters superstar artist J.G. Jones took a pass at when asked to tinker with a few of the RC characters. So, to continue to show you an inside look at the creative process here at 1700 Broadway, I’ve included J.G.’s initial Hangman sketch and artist Jesus Saiz’s final cover.

Come back tomorrow for a peek at what The Web will look like come August. Yes, that’s a tease. Deal with it.

THE SHIELD image we debuted yesterday was pretty close to final. It’s hard to really tinker with such an iconic costume, so why try? But with a few more of the Red Circle characters available, it was a no-brainer to let an artist of J.G. Jones’ caliber take a stab at redesigning some. Here’s a look at Jones’ character sketch for INFERNO. Come back tomorrow for another sneak peek at the newest members of the DCU.

Oh, and because I’m in a giving mood, we’ve thrown in Jesus Saiz’s final take on the character, which will also serve as a cover, come August.