Since “Codename: Patriot,” Earth’s hatred for Kryptonians has only escalated – which is what makes it so odd that Nightwing and Flamebird pick now to go public as super heroes. Meanwhile, Lois Lane finally meets with the man she thought long dead – her father, General Lane. But he has a message to deliver to his journalist daughter: “You’re either with us or against us.”

And in part 5 of the new co-feature, Captain Atom, now back on Earth and knowing the truth about his mission, must face an old foe: Major Force. All courtesy of the team of Greg Rucka, Eric Trautmann, James Robinson, Pere Pérez and CAFU.

ACTION COMICS #883 hits 11/11.

Hola, folks!

I wish I could be like my ultra-trendy pal Michael Siglain, and give you a nice Halloween theme here, but let’s face it: on New Krypton, everyone wears a costume 24/7, and they don’t have candy there. (Notice none of the Kryptonians are overweight—well, except for Kal’s lawyer, but that’s genetic.) You’d think having been trapped in a bottle for decades they’d all be out of shape—or at least have invented Malomars. Whatever.

In celebration of not celebrating Halloween in space this year, here’s a shot from WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON (WONK to you insiders) #9, featuring Kal-El, some bodiless heads that are really big, and a couple of people I really wish were just dressing up, courtesy of James Robinson, Greg Rucka, Pete Woods and Nei Ruffino.

You can get the full horrific scoop of what’s going on here next Wednesday, the 4th, which is not just the first Wednesday of November, but about the time I’ll be trying to figure out a “What Superman’s Thankful for This Year” theme for the next column. Continuing our non-scary tour of the DC books, check out this upcoming page from ACTION #883, which comes out November 11th.

Wow, who knew Flamebird’s super-power was a knockout kiss? And hey, that Brimstone dude’s kinda Halloween-like, right? At least Rucka, Eric Trautmann, Pere Pérez and Javier Mena think so.

Check out this page from November 18th’s SUPERGIRL #47. Guess we know what Alura Zor-El thinks of Halloween, huh?

And if you want to see something that’s really scary, just imagine this day which Alura has been both eagerly anticipating and dreading simultaneously, as she at last comes face-to-face with the man who murdered her husband—Reactron!

Bet you wish you knew what they were saying, huh? My thanks to Sterling Gates, Matt Camp and the aforementioned Nei Ruffino for these glimpses into Supergirl’s future—well, her book’s future, anyway. Which brings us to November 25th, Thanksgiving eve, and SUPERMAN #694. Anyone remember Javi Pina? He teamed up with James Robinson to bring you this past summer’s SUPERMAN ANNUAL. Well, the scream team is at it again, this time for SUPERMAN #694, a.k.a. “Man of Valor” part 1, the arc which will bring Mon-El back in time to the very day Halloween was conceived, and… okay, it has nothing to do with Candy Day, but Bizarro is pretty scary, right? Huh? Please?

Wow, that’s some heady stuff, particularly with Blond’s coloring in place! Why, I—er, what? Oh, okay. That was Alex Segura on the phone, telling me I have failed utterly in my Halloween themage. Maybe I’d better get an early start on the Thanksgiving column. Anyone have a good suggestion for words that rhyme with “Turkey”?

In January, ACTION COMICS #885 and SUPERMAN #696 will cross over as Nightwing and Flamebird’s hunt for Zod’s sleeper agents leads them right to Science Police Headquarters in Metropolis, home of the Guardian and Mon-El. James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann packed these two issues with so many twists and turns, we needed the covers to be as equally dynamic – and since the amazing CAFU regularly draws both covers, why not have the covers cross over as well? We cornered Superman Editor Matt Idelson’s able assistant Wil Moss for more info. Take it away, Wil:

Once the joint cover idea was hatched and we thought up a concept, CAFU sent in his first round of sketches. We all liked option A the best, and then with one piece of sage advice from Dan DiDio (“Wouldn’t it be nice if readers could see the heroes’ faces?”), CAFU came back with another version of option A. We all quickly approved the new sketch, then came CAFU’s inks, and finally the sublime colors by Santiago Arcas.

ACTION COMICS #885, featuring interior art by Pere Pérez (with CAFU handling the CAPTAIN ATOM co-feature), is on sale January 13. And SUPERMAN #696, with interior art by Bernard Chang, is on sale January 27. Make sure and check out the last page of #696 – that one’s gonna knock over quite a few dominoes …

Jumping from the pages of ACTION COMICS #881, writers Sterling Gates and Greg Rucka continue “The Hunt for Reactron” in the pages of SUPERGIRL. Can Supergirl rely on her seemingly unhinged childhood buddy to help her track down her father’s killer? Or will she get burned by the person she once trusted most? Who knows? But we can tease a few lovely Jamal Igle pages right here. And don’t go anywhere, as later today we’ll have some more Superman inside info, right from Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson’s desk.

SUPERGIRL #45 hits 9/23.

Happy Monday, Source gang. I’m back in the office, a little warmer and rested from a few days in sunny SoFla. Yes, that’s how we refer to it. Moving on.

We always like to start the week with something big and exciting, and this Monday is no exception. Last week, we teased “The Hunt for Reactron,” the four-part crossover between ACTION COMICS and SUPERGIRL, co-written by SUPERGIRL writer Sterling Gates and ACTION COMICS scribe Greg Rucka. Well, not-so-coincidentally, we have a few pages from the first issue, ACTION COMICS #881.

Spilling out of the pages of the “Codename: Patriot” finale, Supergirl and Flamebird find themselves at odds. What could make these childhood friends go ballistic on each other? Can Nightwing calm them down before things get even worse? And just what are they going to do about all those villains surrounding them? The ones in the tanks, yes. Well, you’ll get some answers today, in the preview pages below, and even more Wednesday, when the issue hits, featuring some very nice Pere Pérez art, natch.

But that’s not all. Remember when we teased some of Rucka and co-writer James Robinson’s CAPTAIN ATOM co-feature? Well, we’ve got some final pages for you to look over, and they’re pretty stunning. If you haven’t given the co-feature a look, you’re missing out on some lovely CAFU artwork and a gripping story. What is happening to Captain Atom? And, more importantly, what’s going on in his mind? I’ve teased enough. But enjoy the pretty pictures while you wait for Wednesday to roll around.

ACTION COMICS #881 hits 9/16.

So far, Nightwing and Flamebird’s attempts at apprehending Zod’s sleeper agents have worked out pretty well. But enter Az-Rel and Nadira Va-Dim, and we’ve got problems. The “Bonnie and Clyde of Krypton” have turned the tables on our new heroes, and the race to prevent an all-out war with New Krypton may be over before it’s even begun. Written by Greg Rucka , with art by Fernando Dagnino and Raul Fernandez, this issue also includes the first installment of the CAPTAIN ATOM co-feature, from Rucka, co-writer James Robinson and artist CAFU. Check out a few pages from the lead story below.

ACTION COMICS #879 hits tomorrow.

Greetings, Source-erers,

Michael Siglain here. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m one of the editors here at DC. More specifically, I’m one of the Bat-editors, and am currently responsible for Detective Comics, Outsiders, Batgirl, Vigilante and Booster Gold, among other comic book greatness. I’m here today to give you a peek behind the editorial iron curtain, so get ready to feast your eyes…

First up, I’d like to take a moment to congratulate the crew of Detective Comics. The lead story—by the brilliant team of Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, and Dave Stewart—tells the tale of Batwoman, while in the co-feature, Mr. Rucka teams up with artist extraordinaire Cully Hamner to answer The Question. As you may have heard, we’ve just sold out of Detective Comics #854 and are going back to press with a brand new cover.

But you might not have seen the uncolored version of our groovy second printing cover, so take a gander…

Pretty, ain’t it? If any of you haven’t read this issue yet, run—don’t walk—to your local comic shop and reserve your copy now. And just wait until you read Detective Comics #855, which is in stores at the end of this month. Things go from bad to worse for our heroines, but the writing and the art only gets better and better. Trust me, you definitely don’t want to miss this one.

And speaking of cool bat-related books, here’s a page from Outsiders #21, which features an all-new story arc written by Wizard Top Ten Writer Peter Tomasi—seriously, he’s number seven with a bullet—of Nightwing and Green Lantern Corps fame, with art by the amazingly talented Fernando Pasarin—of Justice Society of America fame (he’s not on the Wizard list yet, but he’s number one on the list of Top Ten Artists Who Live in Spain and Currently Work for Mike Siglain). These fine folks have crafted a tale of terror that pits the Outsiders against some of Batman’s most dangerous and vile villains. In “The Hunting” Part I, Black Lightning and Owlman head north in an attempt to track down the murderous Mr. Freeze. Again, take a look:

That’s all for now, gang. But check back soon for another update featuring the all-new Batgirl, the same ol’ Booster, the return of Doug Moench and Kelley Jones, and a top secret, unbelievably creepy Sam Kieth project.

Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight…

M.

How about a little news with your coffee?

This August — ACTION COMICS #880, to be exact — will see Julian Lopez (ORACLE: THE CURE, BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS) step in as the regular series artist, just in time for a crossover with the other Super-books. I could summarize the plot of said crossover, or hint at stuff, like Superman maybe returning to Earth, or New Krypton/Earth relations hitting an all-new low, but that’ll just make you impatient for August, right? Not to fear. We have some sketches from Mr. Lopez to tide you over until then.