Batwing, Earth-2, and JLI #4 Previews!

Batwing #12

Written by: Judd Winick

Art by: Marcus To

 

 

Earth-2 #4

Written by: James Robinson

Art by: Nicola Scott

 

 

Justice League International #12

Written by: Dan Jurgens

Art by: Aaron Lopresti

 

  

  

 

A Few Things Wanted Out of Marvel NOW!

With Marvel NOW! starting it a few months, I've examined all the attention I could find on websites like Newsarama, Comic Book Resources, and Comic Vine. So what do I want to see out of the whole Marvel NOW! initiative? Here's a few things.

New/Past Avengers
Between the main team on Avengers, the New Avengers, and Uncanny Avengers all having been announced (with potentially more Avengers titles to be announced), we have to assume there are going to be  tons of new members or old members coming back from the past. From old members like Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, to potential new members like Silver Surfer and Nick Fury Jr.

Don't Forget About Nick Sr.
With Nick Fury Jr. becoming what seems to be the "main" Nick Fury in the Marvel NOW! teasers, some might wonder what is gonna happen to Nick Fury Sr. He's the original and while he isn't really doing anything important recently, I don't think that we should just "forget" about him.


Welcome Back Cosmic Marvel...
The Guardians of the Galaxy movie is coming soon. Nova is in that Ultimate Spider-Man tv show. It's time to go cosmic with the Marvel Universe. Maybe a Silver Surfer ongoing, bring the Fantastic Four back out to space a bunch, Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova ongoings would all be a step in the right direction.

...And Don't Let the X-Men Disappear (With Maybe a Few Reappearing?)
With AvX ending soon, the two teams seem like they will be brought closer than ever, despite one of the teams losing. Thusfar we haven't seen any books starring the X-Men besides All-New X-Men starring the original X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) coming to the present time and seeing how much the world has changed. So one has to wonder, when will we hear about an X-Men series starring the current X-Men teams. But maybe at the end AvX, the Phoenix force will bring back a few X-Men characters...like Nightcrawler and Jean Grey?


Joe Quesada Starts Doing An Ongoing Series
Jim Lee did it with Justice League...why can't Joe Quesada start drawing an ongoing series? Maybe the new X-Men ongoing series? Maybe an Avengers team? Maybe a new Spider-Man series or Iron Man or Thor? I think it's time. Come on, Joe, start an ongoing series.

Fantastic Four Doesn't Get Forgotten
I know that Invisible Woman is on the Marvel NOW! poster that was released a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean the whole team will have a major role. Sure, the Thing is currently a member of the New Avengers squad, and may or may not stay there post-AvX, but the rest of the team has been rather sheltered from the broad Marvel U. Maybe we could get Human Torch AND Invisible Woman on the Avengers or maybe Mr. Fantastic and the Thing on the team. Or have FF team up with the Avengers and the X-Men frequently.


Tony Stark Stays Iron Man
I know this is kind of obvious, but I don't want someone else in the armor. I think I heard something about him giving up and not being in the armor anymore recently and I was like "Well, no thanks." But I hope the man behind that armor on the Marvel NOW! poster is Tony because that's who belongs there. 

Blue Beetle #11 Review!

Cover to Blue Beetle #11 by Paul Renaud

Blue Beetle #11

Written by: Tony Bedard

Art by: Ig Guara & J.P. Mayer

Issue title: "All That Glitters"

So normally I don't buy this series, obviously, but I can't resist buying an issue with Booster in it. So without further wait, I present my review of Blue Beetle #11.

Summary:

• The issue opens with a newscaster lady named Connie Burnett is interviewing a guy who is anti-superheroes named Thaddeus Miller and Booster Gold who is promoting supers, obviously
• Blue Beetle becomes the main focus of the conversation
• Booster announces that he wants to meet with Beetle and help him get his super-hero career together
• Meanwhile, Jaime is walking down the street in NYC and is talking to the Beetle scarab thingy and decides he wants to meet with Booster and has the scarab set up a meeting
• Later, when Beetle and Booster are set to meet, Booster seems kinda pissed since Jaime arrived late
• Booster begins fighting Beetle and explains why he did so, which is the fact that Booster knows his 25th Century History and mentions an invasion from the Reach Empire (which is where the scarab came from) to Earth and he wants to wipe Beetle out before the Reach gets worse
• Eventually Booster takes down Beetle, but Jaime's grandma (????) steps in between and stops Booster from killing Jaime
• (This will be continued in the Justice League International Annual next month apparently)

Thoughts

I really enjoyed this issue. Not enough that I'd spend another $2.99 monthly, which is a shame because if I had the money I would buy it. I really need a job... Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue and I now can't wait to see what this annual is all about. I kind of hope to see the Blue & Gold become best buds again, and hopefully since JLI is getting cancelled we can see more of Booster here in Blue Beetle, but in the meantime, it was a good impulse buy. Good writing, good art, solid cliffhanger for the ongoing series. 8/10

I have to say, Beetle did put up a good fight against Booster there for a while.

Earth-2 #3 Review!

Cover to Earth-2 #3 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Earth-2 #3

Written by: James Robinson

Art by: Nicola Scott & Trevor Scott

Issue title: "Jade Knight"

Summary

• Alan Scott wakes up in the middle of the crash and wanders to a green light
• The light tells him that it is the power of the Earth and that he's the chosen one to contain the power the light contains
• Jay/Flash and Kendra/Hawkgirl are talking for a bit when Kendra randomly attacks him
• Jay and Kendra go at it for a minute til she takes Jay down and then helps him up
• Jay agrees to team up with Kendra (kind of) as "everything" is dying
• Back with Alan, he agrees to take the mantle of Green Lantern
• We see him in his pretty badass-looking GL outfit
• Meanwhile an unseen enemy notices that the Green has chosen a champion (Alan) and "in the name of the Grey" he must awaken
• He is killing everything in Virginia
• Alan and the light form his engagement ring that he was gonna use to propose to Sam (who's dead, bee-tee-dubs) into a GL ring
• Alan saves the survivors from the train crash and swears that everything he does as Green Lantern will be in Sam's honor
• Meanwhile, the Grey's champion kills stuff in Washington, D.C. and we see its Solomon Grundy(!!!!!!)

Thoughts

I have almost no issues here, minus one: Alan got over Sam really quick. But maybe that's just me, because I've never lost someone as close as my fiancee-to-be and then have a Green Light claim it's the Earth's energy and give me all it's power. Soooo yeah. This issue was amazing nonetheless and frickin' Solomon Grundy is the villain!!! That made up for the Sam thing. Green Lantern. Flash. Hawkgirl. Solomon Grundy. That's enough of a great cast to make an amazing book. 10/10

That Cover for "Rise of the Third Army"

Coming in October to DC Comics

Well in the last few days, DC has announced story arcs coming in October. So I'm gonna give you guys their announcements right here in order of their announcement. First up, Batman's "Death of the Family":

This October, one of the most notorious villains in comic book history is making his return to DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. In the new storyline, “Death of the Family,” The Joker will come out of the dark in a horrifying, unnerving, and huge way. And the grave consequences of his reemergence will be felt by not only the Bat-family, but by all of Gotham City.

He crippled Batgirl. He killed Robin. What will The Joker do next? And what must Batman do to protect his secret identity and that of those who fight alongside him? The adventure begins in BATMAN #13 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion.

“Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder told THE SOURCE. “Not just in comics. In everything - film, books, TV. He's the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me - something I've been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham. Basically, this is my big exploration of the Joker, my ARKHAM ASYLUM or THE KILLING JOKE, only bigger in scope. Bottom line: it's the biggest, baddest, most shocking Joker story I could tell. This is Joker completely unleashed. He has been away for a full year planning this revenge, watching, plotting, setting things up. And now he's back. He has his traps set, his knives sharpened... And wait 'til you see him. Greg's sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you've never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn't going to be pretty, but it's going to be a wild ride. Thanks for taking it with us.”

“When Scott told me that he'd written a Joker story for our next arc, I couldn’t contain my excitement,” added Capullo. “Talk about a dream come true! For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw. I gotta tell you, after hearing what the story is about, this isn't a dream come true. It's a nightmare! A macabre and bloody, flesh crawling nightmare. We hope you'll have the nerve to face what's coming. Warning: It ain't for the faint of heart!”

BATMAN #13 hits stores on October 10th. But in the meantime, take an exclusive first look at Capullo’s promotional art for “Death of the Family” below.

Sounds great, right? Secondly is the big Green Lantern crossover, "Rise of the Third Army":

This October, the “Rise of the Third Army” will spawn across GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS and RED LANTERNS.

To commemorate this exciting storyline, artist Ivan Reis has created a stunning piece of artwork that will be split into 4 interconnecting covers for each of the books involved. Take an exclusive first look below!

“This was the first time in my career that I’ve illustrated 4 interconnecting covers,” Reis told THE SOURCE. “It’s also the second time I’ve done a 4-page spread (the first one was in BLACKEST NIGHT). That one had just 12 characters so I loved returning to the Green Lantern universe to work on this image. I had too much fun working on these hundreds of characters.”

So how will the “Rise of Third Army” play out in all of these books? We asked the writers of each series to tease a little bit about what to expect from their respective titles come this October.

GREEN LANTERN writer Geoff Johns:

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely--and the Guardians time is finally here. The Lantern titles spent the first year of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 re-establishing themselves, but it all comes back together with year 2 starting with GREEN LANTERN #0 and leading into October's #13's - which share an amazing cover by Ivan Reis. In October, the Guardians' Third Army rises to replace the Green Lantern Corps - but how is horrifying and why will change the Guardians and their ancient mission forever. As we discover what the Third Army actually means, our strongest Lanterns are targeted for absolute destruction. From Atrocitus to Guy Gardner to our newest Green Lantern from Earth - who may have been wrongly chosen - all their darkest secrets and failures will come to light. What is Sinestro's ultimate fate? Who is this new Green Lantern and why was he chosen? What is the Third Army? What with Atrocitus sacrifice to take on the Guardians? What will Larfleeze give up to find the one thing he wants? What happens to Guy Gardner when he's targeted after Hal Jordan? And, most importantly, who is the First Lantern?”

GREEN LANTERN CORPS writer Peter J. Tomasi:

“How sick is that cover?! C'mon, on your feet -- let's give it up to Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Albert Oclair, and Rod Reis -- they've earned their own power rings for the willpower to finish this masterpiece! The Guardians and the Third Army want to break the Green Lantern Corps -- and they've now got their sights on Guy Gardner and John Stewart! The question is not IF the Guardians can accomplish their mission, but how horribly will they shatter our ringslingers’ lives!”

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS writer Tony Bedard:

“In GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS, Kyle Rayner has gathered a team of Lanterns from all seven colors of the spectrum. As the Third Army strikes, Kyle must combine all seven shades of power within himself.  A bigger and badder lineup of New Guardians will push Kyle to become our secret weapon against the onslaught of the Third Army.”

And last but certainly not least, RED LANTERNS writer Peter Milligan:

“The Red Lanterns are continuing their mission to bring bloody vengeance to an unjust world when they run into (or are run into) a mysterious enemy with no mouth and a curious resistance to death. One Red Lantern succumbs to this new adversary, while Atrocitus finds a way to fight back – which entails returning to a place of great pain and associating with an ancient nemesis.”

Don’t miss the “Rise of the Third Army,” beginning with GREEN LANTERN #13, in stores October 3.

Covers, in order, to Green Lantern: New Guardians #13, Green Lantern #13, Green Lantern Corps #13, and Red Lanterns #13 by Ivan Reis I'll repost it in the original size later (it's huge)

Gah! Can't wait! Third up is the Batwoman story arc that'll be featuring Wonder Woman:

On October 17, two of the most legendary female superheroes in the DC Universe will team up to fight a grave threat. Beginning in BATWOMAN #13, Kate Kane will join forces with none other than the Princess of Amazons herself, Wonder Woman.

“We're super excited to be tackling Wonder Woman for a bit in the upcoming arc of BATWOMAN,” series co-writer and artist J.H. Williams III told THE SOURCE. “But also feel a sense of trepidation and responsibility, with her probably being the most iconic female hero of all time in comics. We needed to approach her with reverence and respect. And also wanted to give her a sense of purity in how she is drawn, something clear in her appearance, overt and forward. Now doing this, and then setting her next to Batwoman produces fascinating juxtapositions of their styles and nature of their characters. Batwoman being shadowy and a bit withdrawn, Wonder Woman being bold and vibrant. They do have things in common with their sense of purpose, but yet also things that make them quite different from each other, and them coming together brings out complimentary aspects much in the same way Batman and Superman do for each other as characters. The result is a compelling union of two iconic women that bring balance to how they can be perceived.”

BATWOMAN #13 is written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman and features art and a cover by J.H. Williams III. Take an exclusive sneak peek at the issue by checking out Williams’ cover below.

Up next is what's gonna happen in DC Universe Presents, featuring Black Lightning and Blue Devil:

The next arc of DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS marks the DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 debut of not one but TWO heroes – Black Lightening and Blue Devil!

Written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Robson Rocha, this 5-issue arc asks the question: can two very different heroes keep it together without killing each other long enough to unlock a new corner of the DC Universe?

“I can't begin to explain how excited I am to be writing this book!” Andreyko told THE SOURCE. “When I first heard the high-concept, I was instantly writing scenes in my head. I've always been a fan of the ‘buddy concept,’ especially when it's love/hate, and teaming these two seemingly disparate characters together makes for some great story dynamics. How did Blue Devil and Black Lightening meet? Why are they working together? Do they even like each other? All … well, ok,some … will be answered. Add in a bloodthirsty bad guy, a crazy drug, a guy in a demon suit and another who shoots electricity, mix well. Now enjoy!”

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #13 lands in stores on October 17th. Below, take a sneak peek at the DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 character designs for Blue Devil and Black Lightening done by artist Brett Booth.

After that, we're gonna get a new series featuring Joe Kubert's artwork, called Joe Kubert Presents:

This fall, don’t miss the start of a far-ranging collection of stories from comics legend Joe Kubert (BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL) and other great talents. A six-issue anthology mini-series, JOE KUBERT PRESENTS kicks off on October 31st.

The inaugural issue spans 48 pages and includes a Hawkman epic written and illustrated by Kubert, a tale of Angel and The Ape from writer/artist Brian Buniak, and a return to comics for writer/artist Sam Glanzman with a new tale of the U.S.S. Stevens.

“I've been given the privilege to design the kind of comic book that I would enjoy reading and one in which I'd like to participate,” Kubert told THE SOURCE. “This is it. I'll be doing Hawkman, Spit, The Redeemer, Sgt. Rock and The Biker in this 6-issue anthology. In addition, the book features the wonderful talents of Sam Glanzman and Brian Buniak. I had a blast doing it. I hope it blows you away.”

Below, check out an exclusive first look at Kubert's cover for JOE KUBERT PRESENTS #1.

Marvel to Relaunch their Main Franchises?

Marvel has seemingly announced three new series to start this fall. Comic Book Resources reported on it this morning.

"Uncanny Avengers: (oct 2012) written by [Rick ]Remender. It is going to be the new flagship marvel title and will have among others Cap, Thor, Wolvy, Rogue and Havok in it and both sides will still have some AVX tension.

Avengers (dec 2012): Bi weekly with more then 18 avengers on the team. Written by [Jonathan] Hickman with one shot stories and longer galaxy spanning multi-issue arcs

X-men: (nov 2012) hold on to your hats...... Bendis!!! about the original five x-men time-travel two the present in a pleasantville style story and who are not going to like what they see once they are in the present and will find it unacceptable. Bendis says the time travel aspect of the story is not as important as the character based drama."

This interest you? Uncanny Avengers and X-Men both interest me. I'll check in later but in the meantime check out this crazy piece from Joe Quesada depicting the future of the Marvel Universe!

My comments: Look at that crazy new Cyclops outfit!! Oh god why is Cable there. Cap and Iron Man's new outfits are cool. All the other characters, I don't really see any changes for.

The Flash #10 Review

Cover to The Flash #10 by Francis Manapul

The Flash #10
Written by: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by: Marcus To & Ray McCarthy

Summary

• The issue opens with some guy named Claudio getting killed two years ago while he's on the phone with his brother, Marco
• Turns out Marco is Weather Wizard
• Flash gives us a run-down on what's been happening the last few issues 
• Flash is fighting off Weather Wizard, who has apparently kidnapped Flash's girlfriend, Patty
• Barry keeps letting his mind wander to Patty during the fight
• Apparently Weather Wizard unleashes a flood, which Barry drags with his super-speed to a large body of water
• He eventually catches up with Marco again, who is confused as to why Flash would think he kidnapped Patty, as she was investigating his brother's murder
• Meanwhile, Patty is talking with some dude who has been captured along with her named "The Spider" (no super-powers, as far as I can tell)
• Turns out there is a whole Italian-Gang-styled rivalry between families going on
• Marco's brother, Claudio, was the head of the Mardon Family and he was going to gain peace with their rivals by giving up a bunch of Mardon territory
• Claudio's wife, Elsa, killed him to keep from losing the land and to re-spark the violence
• Patty figures out that Elsa is going to kill them
• Meanwhile, Flash takes down Elsa and Marco
• Barry begins interrogating Marco for information
• Elsa admits to having Patty captured
• Flash takes down the thugs guarding Patty
• Marco kills Elsa by shocking himself and her with lightning
• Lisa Snart, now known as Glider, takes Marco away
• Barry somehow comes to the conclusion that he can't ever tell Patty that he's alive and that he is the Flash

Thoughts

The issue started out strong, stayed good for most of it, but then that last page really frustrated me. If anything, now is the time for Barry to tell Patty that he is still alive and all that stuff. But whatever, I'll stop complaining about it. As for the story, I'm really enjoying it overall and I'm really glad that the Rogues have begun coming together. I have to say that I've noticed since the New 52 began, a lot of the series have lost the narration aspect of it the story, but this is one series (much like Teen Titans and Batman) that hasn't lost that. That definitely is a plus in my book. Another thing, I know that it was an odd decision for Barry to not tell Patty, but for those of us reading this series that wish he and Iris would get together, this may be that very chance to see them get together. Now that Patty thinks Barry is dead and gone, she'll be moving on. So why not have Barry jump back into the past and find good old Iris West? (Which could also pave the way for our introduction to New 52 Wally West? Just a thought.) And also, Marcus To's art was and is phenominal. And while yes, I love Francis Manapul's artwork and style for Flash, I thoroughly enjoy To's art and cannot wait til next month to see it again. It may very well get me to start reading Batwing. This issue gets an 8/10.

Barry: "How do you say 'Excuse me while I use my super-speed to 'draft' millions of gallons of water behind me, so it doesn't flood your town' in Spanish?"

Teen Titans #10 Review!

Cover to Teen Titans #10 by Brett Booth

Teen Titans #10

Written by: Scott Lobdell

Art by: Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund

Summary

• The team wakes up on Mystery Island
• Bart saves the team from a dinosaur who is attacking them
• Cassie and Kon-El come out of their little underground hatch where they left off at the end of Superboy #10
• Cassie has a character change and actually smiles (!!!)
• Meanwhile, Tim gets pissy with the rest of the group and flies off to "do some recon"
• Bunker gets Tim to vent about how everything has just completely fallen apart
• Tim gets pissy and tells Miguel to just back off, but he refuses to do so and attempts to help in whatever way possible
• Cassie and Kon-El snatch Tim and Miguel into hugs
• Later, Cassie and Kon-El are seen sitting apart from the group discussing whether to tell the rest about where they are
• Tim tells Miguel that the Titans are done but Miguel won't have it
• Bart and Kiran are having a, erm, good time on their own
• Tim and Miguel are still going back and forth about whether or not the Titans should continue
• Kon-El asks if he could talk to Tim for a moment, so Miguel and Tim put their conversation on hold
• Danny the Street's bricks begin falling to the ground
• Danny tells the team that as his final act as a member of the team, he will return them to New York
• This final act kills Danny, by the way
• Meanwhile, Amanda Waller wishes she didn't have to get involved in the lives of young metahumans, but she has to

Thoughts

Maybe I just never noticed it before, but between Superboy and Teen Titans #10, I noticed that these teenagers don't really talk like teenagers. But beyond that, I don't have an issue with this series. I love the art (so glad Brett Booth is back) and I'm glad the team is finally connecting with one another. And I'm glad that Danny the Street is gone. Finally. But I feel like they took the easy way off of Mystery Island. And the Amanda Waller thing makes me wonder if maybe we'll eventually see a Suicide Squad/Teen Titans crossover? That'd be very interesting. 

The issue gets a solid 9/10. 

Bunker: "Honestly, none of us has time for crisis of leadership nonsense. You gathered us under your banner. You convinced us that together we could be stronger than we are alone. That means you don't have the luxury of falling apart or walking away when things go wrong. So buck up, Red Robin--or buck off."

The last panel of Danny the Street. Thank God.

A Look Ahead: Which Comics I Hope to Buy in September

Here's a look at the comics I'm hoping to get in September!

Batman #0
Written by: Scott Snyder (main & back-up), James Tynion IV (back-up)
Art by: Greg Capullo (main) & Andy Clarke (back-up)
• Bruce Wayne has returned from his worldwide quest to take the law into his own hands!
• This issue reveals the early steps of building everything that surrounds Batman – the costume, the cave, the car, the gadgets!

Batman: The Dark Knight #0
Written by: Gregg Hurwitz
Art by: David Finch
• Batman takes on the most important case of his career as a detective – who murdered his parents?
• Meet Joe Chill and explore the epic conspiracy to wipe out the Wayne family!

Earth-2 #0
Written by: James Robinson
Art by: Tomas Giorello
• It’s the tragic origin of Earth 2’s greatest villain!
• Don’t miss Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in action on Earth 2!

The Flash #0
Written & Art by: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
• At last, it’s the origin of The Flash!
• The loss of his mother put Barry Allen on the road to becoming a hero, but only when he gains his powers will he understand her most important lesson.

Green Arrow #0
Written by: Judd Winick
Art by: Freddie E Williams II
• Oliver Queen is young, rich and reckless…what could possibly go wrong?
• Discover the events leading up to the birth of Green Arrow, and Ollie’s history with Roy Harper!

Green Lantern #0
Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke
PROLOGUE TO THE THIRD ARMY!
• The introduction and origin of a surprising new Green Lantern!
• Where are Hal Jordan and Sinestro?

Green Lantern Corps #0
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Art by: Fernando Pasarin
PROLOGUE TO THE THIRD ARMY!
• The New 52 origin of Guy Gardner!
• Guy’s past has a way of catching up with him, and this issue is no exception!

Green Lantern: New Guardians #0
Written by: Tony Bedard
Art by: Aaron Kuder
PROLOGUE TO THE THIRD ARMY!
• A new team forms as Atrocitus, Larfleeze, Star Sapphire Carol Ferris, Saint Walker, Arkillo and Kyle Rayner prepare for war against the Guardians of the Universe!

Justice League #0
Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Gary Frank
• Billy Batson takes center stage in this issue as he unleashes the awesome power of Shazam in a special origin story!
• Also featuring the not-to-be-missed origin of Pandora and the next seeds of TRINITY WAR

Red Lanterns #0
Written by: Peter Milligan
Art by: Ardian Syaf
PROLOGUE TO THE THIRD ARMY!
• Don’t miss this secret chapter of the Red Lantern Corps, as the legacy of Atrocitus’s violent past unfolds!
• Witness a prophecy that threatens to change everything!

Superman #0
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Art by: Kenneth Rocafort
• Welcome the new creative team of Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort as they take us back to the days when Jor-El learned the truth about Krypton’s imminent destruction!
• Plus: More on the introduction of the Eradicators

Team Seven #0
Written by: Justin Jordan
Art by: Jesus Merino
• Threads of the entire DC Universe collide in this new series set in the early days of The New 52 from writer Justin Jordan (The Strange Talents of Luther Strode).
• As Superman emerges, so too does the world’s counter measures against him and his kind!
• Dinah Lance, Amanda Waller, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash, Slade Wilson are Team 7 – and their story will change everything you know about The New 52!

Teen Titans #0
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Art by: Tyler Kirkham

• Focusing on the origin of Tim Drake; how a would be Olympic star and computer genius went on to become Batman’s third Robin.

• Plus: The beginnings of Skitter and Bunker.

Worlds' Finest #0
Written by: Paul Levitz
Art by: Kevin Maguire
• It’s the origin of Supergirl and Robin on Earth 2! • How did their first mission on that world affect their situation as Power Girl and Huntress today?

Coming in October: "Death of the Family"

DC revealed today what the next major Batman story arc will be. It happens to feature the return of the Joker, Batman's greatest villain ever. Here's the press release with the promo image below.

"This October, one of the most notorious villains in comic book history is making his return to DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. In the new storyline, “Death of the Family,” The Joker will come out of the dark in a horrifying, unnerving, and huge way. And the grave consequences of his reemergence will be felt by not only the Bat-family, but by all of Gotham City.

He crippled Batgirl. He killed Robin. What will The Joker do next? And what must Batman do to protect his secret identity and that of those who fight alongside him? The adventure begins in BATMAN #13 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion.

“Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder told THE SOURCE. “Not just in comics. In everything - film, books, TV. He's the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me - something I've been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham. Basically, this is my big exploration of the Joker, my ARKHAM ASYLUM or THE KILLING JOKE, only bigger in scope. Bottom line: it's the biggest, baddest, most shocking Joker story I could tell. This is Joker completely unleashed. He has been away for a full year planning this revenge, watching, plotting, setting things up. And now he's back. He has his traps set, his knives sharpened... And wait 'til you see him. Greg's sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you've never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn't going to be pretty, but it's going to be a wild ride. Thanks for taking it with us.”

“When Scott told me that he'd written a Joker story for our next arc, I couldn’t contain my excitement,” added Capullo. “Talk about a dream come true! For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw. I gotta tell you, after hearing what the story is about, this isn't a dream come true. It's a nightmare! A macabre and bloody, flesh crawling nightmare. We hope you'll have the nerve to face what's coming. Warning: It ain't for the faint of heart!”

BATMAN #13 hits stores on October 10th. But in the meantime, take an exclusive first look at Capullo’s promotional art for “Death of the Family” below."

What're your thoughts on the upcoming storyline? I can't wait. It should be very entertaining and enjoyable. I hope Joker will be as crazy as ever. 

Most Viewed Posts in June 2012

The post that got the most views was Teen Titans #10's Preview.

Coming in second was the Previews for 6/27/2012

Third was my Superboy #10 Review

Fourth was the review of Earth-2 #2

The fifth most viewed was the Teen Titans Annual preview (for the second month in a row)

and the sixth most viewed was my interview with Scott Lobdell from after the Annual last month.