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.

In the aftermath of the recently-concluded STRANGE ADVENTURES, Adam Strange and Captain Comet heed Vril Dox’s call to arms to stop the onslaught of Starro the Conqueror. But Starro has a plan up his sleeve that even a super-genius like Dox won’t see coming. Brought to you by writer Tony Bedard and artist Claude St. Aubin, R.E.B.E.L.S. #9 hits today.

Tying into his recent debut in R.E.B.E.L.S., the origin of the real Starro the Conqueror is revealed! Why have we never seen this cosmic barbarian before? And how did he amass his horde of super-soldiers? The stellar answers are all in here from R.E.B.E.L.S. writer Tony Bedard and a variety of top artists (Kalman Andrasofszky, Derec Donovan, Joe Prado and Karl Moline) for each intense chapter!

This one-shot story is in stores tomorrow.

Writer Tony Bedard and artist Andy Clarke continue on their R.E.B.E.L.S. hot streak, as word of Starro’s invading horde and Vril Dox’s rebellion reaches the masses, and sides are drawn. Plus, the mighty Khund fleet enters the battle against Starro. Too bad for them. Plus: The all-new, all-dangerous Omega Men. Need more? Well how about a few pages to get your legs a-walkin’ to your local comic shop?

R.E.B.E.L.S. #8 hits today.

Tying into his recent debut in the pages of R.E.B.E.L.S., the origin of the real Starro the Conqueror is revealed. Why have we never seen this cosmic barbarian before? And how did he amass his army of super-soldiers? The answers are all here, courtesy of writer Tony Bedard and a collection of top artists — including Kalman Andrasofszky, Derec Donovan, Joe Prado and Karl Moline — with each one handling a chapter of the story. Check out some preview pages below. R.E.B.E.L.S. ANNUAL: STARRO THE CONQUEROR hits 10/7.

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?”

Tony Bedard and artist Claude St. Aubin keep the heat going in the pages of R.E.B.E.L.S., as the abductor of the intergalactic L.E.G.I.O.N. police force stands revealed, leading the entire sector to mobilize. What happens when Vril Dox’s team of renegades teams up with the Omega Men, Durlans, Khunds and Dominators? Well, you can get at least some of the answers here.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #5 hits 6/10

We teased the amazing Starro design sketch by J.G. Jones not too long ago, but why not unveil the reinterpreted villain’s final look?

CBR spoke to R.E.B.E.L.S. writer Tony Bedard about Starro, and he had a few interesting tidbits:

I want to leave some mystery because we’re slowly unveiling the new Starro over the next few issues of ”R.E.B.E.L.S.” and then really going in-depth with the upcoming Starro special. I think it’s safe to say that the Star Conqueror is a cosmic Genghis Khan, but he’s also much more than that.

And here’s what he looks like, courtesy of the cover to R.E.B.E.L.S. #6, by Kalman Andrasofszky:

Tony Bedard welcomes guest artist Claude St. Aubin aboard just in time to meet the galaxy’s new would-be conquerer. Dox and the Omega Men plot their next move as the alien Khunds and Dominators team up to face off against the mysterious threat. As tempting as it might be, though, do not — I repeat — do not just jump to the last page. It’s a shocking one. Yup.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #4 hits 5/13.

Yes, it’s only Tuesday. But look at it this way — that means a few more days of cool debuts here at The Source. Surely that’s motivation enough?

• In case you missed it, the team at MYSPACE COMIC BOOKS previewed SUPERMAN #687 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN #59.

• Over at Comic Book Resources’ Robot 6 blog, Tim O’Shea talks to R.E.B.E.L.S writer Tony Bedard about the series, and artist Claude St. Aubin’s upcoming stint as artist.

• In Batman news, Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert’s conclusion to “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” got positive review attention from Comic Book Resources, Newsarama’s “Best Shots” team and IGN. IGN also previewed the first issue of BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL — THE UNDERGROUND.

• Newsarama shows off some shiny TRINITY pages and Robot 6’s Tom Bondurant continues to annotate every issue. Impressive, eh?

• The build up to BLACKEST NIGHT continues, with IGN previewing GREEN LANTERN #40, and reminded people about that page Eddie Berganza posted last week. Newsarama’s Vaneta Rogers spoke to artist Ethan Van Sciver at length about the looks for the different Lantern Corps and their symbols.

• And in case you were still hungry for Red Circle info after our debuts last week, superstar artist J.G. Jones spoke to Newsarama’s Matt Brady about his role in redesigning the characters for the DCU.