The BLACKEST NIGHT darkens the skies over the Justice League in this important tie-in issue by the new team of James Robinson and artist Mark Bagley. Can the team get it together in time to survive the return of the undead Dr. Light? Or will his now-shadowy evil strangle everybody where they stand? Good, valid questions that we won’t answer here. But we do have a few Bagley pages to kick the week off.

We’re inching toward the weekend, folks, and that’s a good thing. We’re also inching toward the debut of the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA from the superstar team of writer James Robinson and artist Mark Bagley. Stoked? You should be. On that note, we’ve got a few images that might be of interest. Namely, the January covers to JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #6 and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #41.

How far would you go for justice? That’s the question writer James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli continue to ask, as the heroes have found themselves turning to darker tactics in their search for retribution. Starman and Congorilla have captured the killers who took down some of their friends, but now what do they do with them? Meanwhile, Green Lantern and company wrestle with the idea of torturing villains for information in order to save lives. We’ve got a few of Mauro’s lovely painted pages right here to whet your appetite.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #4 hits 10/7.

Two new members sign up in the third issue of writer James Robinson and artist Mauro Cascioli’s CRY FOR JUSTICE mini-series. Just in time, too. With Prometheus captured and his evil plans revealed, the team will need all the additional manpower it can muster to defeat the villain’s master plan. Click below for some pages from the issue, which hits 9/2.

The new Justice League team continues its proactive hunt as the trail leads to an army of super-villains. But the main foe may be deadlier than the new team’s combined forces. Sounds ominous? Yep. Don’t believe me? Well, check out some pages below, from writer James Robinson and artist Mauro Cascioli.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #2 hits 8/5.

It’s a preview Monday! As we make any and all last-minute preparations for San Diego, we’ve got a nice collection of previews for you today.

Next up is LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #3, from writer Gerry Conway and artist Chris Batista. And you don’t need to take it from me – scroll down and see for yourself – but it’s clear Batista is knocking it out of the park with this mini, spotlighting a possible future for Buddy Baker, aka Animal Man.

And what happens when the League of Titans enters the picture? Buddy Baker’s slowly losing his marbles, but can he rely on a little help from his friends? Or is it just time to curl up and call it a life? Check out some pages to see.

THE LAST DAYS OF ANIMAL MAN #3 hits 7/29.

Since the DC offices — and, in turn, The Source — will be closed tomorrow celebrating the Fourth, we thought it’d be nice to end the week with a bit of cool news.

Well, here it is: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the heroes of the Justice League will join forces with Teshkeel Comics’ THE 99, the award-winning original superhero group based on Islamic culture and history.

THE 99 team, which debuted in June 2006, was recently identified by Forbes Magazine as one of the “Top 20 Trends Sweeping the Globe.” Not too shabby, huh? In THE 99 — created by Naif Al-Mutawa — are a team of superheroes, including Jabbar the Powerful and Noora the Light who must collect 99 gems encrypted with the wisdom and power of the ancient Dar Al-Hikma library of Baghdad, which are spread across the globe.

The mini-series will be penned by incoming AZRAEL scribe Fabian Nicieza, who’s no stranger to THE 99, having written the series previously. We’re saving the artistic announcement and official release date for another day, once we’re ready to show off some of the art. But can you blame us for spilling the news? We didn’t think so.

Want to learn more about The 99? Well, you’re in luck. THE 99 has a handy website with all the answers for any questions you might have.

Stay tuned to The Source for more information on the upcoming crossover.

It’s hard to wait, isn’t it? Fear not, Source readers. The first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE will be in your hands in a few short days. By now, you’ve probably seen the preview, so what else could we tease before the issue hits?

How about the cover to #4, by artist Mauro Cascioli?

The Justice League has always been about loyalty, friendship and teamwork. But it’s also about Justice. When Green Lantern challenges his teammates to focus on that aspect of the name in the wake of the death of Martian Manhunter and Batman’s disappearance, he finds himself on the ground floor of a new team’s formation. GL, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Atom, Shazam, Congorilla and Starman unite to take the fight to the villains in the first part of a seven-part mini-series from writer James Robinson and artist Mauro Cascioli. Do you really need more convincing? Probably not. But here are some pages from the first issue anyway.

Also, check back here soon for a look at some of the extra goodies that come with each issue of CRY FOR JUSTICE.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #1 hits 7/1.

It’s a short week here at The Source, what with our bosses letting us have Friday off. But that just means we have to end the week with a bang.

So, let’s get right to it: Writer James Robinson and artist Mark Bagley will be the new ongoing creative team on JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, starting in October. I’ll give you a minute or two to wipe the drool off your keyboards.

All done? Great. The fun doesn’t stop there. We managed to snag Robinson for a quick second to talk about the upcoming assignment, and how it ties into his current JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE mini-series, with artist Mauro Cascioli. Take it away, James:

“It’s a thrill to be given the reins of DC’s flagship team book and to know that my partner in crime(fighting) will be the esteemed Mark Bagley who’s dynamic storytelling skills I intend to make full use of.  It’s further exciting/gratifying for me that I can dove-tail the events of Cry For Justice into the main book where post-Blackest Night will emerge a new team and a new exciting direction as they get caught up in the next wave of events building throughout the DCU.”

Speaking of Mr. Bagley, who’s just coming off a historic run on the yearlong weekly series TRINITY, we’ve snagged a first-look at an upcoming cover from JUSTICE LEAGUE. I probably don’t even have to ask you to click, do I?

And if you’ll be in Charlotte this weekend, swing on by Heroes Con, where Mark Bagley will be sharing his first thoughts on the gig during the DC NATION panel on Saturday at 1pm.