DCU: Counting Down To Final Crisis Special Report!

Features, News

I’ll have a full report on Wizard World Texas with lots of pretty pretty pictures later this week. Right now, though, I have some exclusive news on various DC Projects that I thought you all would like to hear about A.S.A.P.

* Keith Giffen has just signed an exclusive contract with D.C. Comics. Amazingly, he did not have a rider in his contract that he is allowed to sneak Ambush Bug into anything he writes although the possibility of more Ambush Bug stories in the future is not out of the question.

* Long-time Green Arrow artist Phil Hester will be the artist on a new El Diablo title to premiere in 2008.

* Western fans rejoice! There will also be a new Bat Lash series in 2008.

* A future issue of Countdown will feature a battle between Superman Prime and Mister Mxyzptlk.

* Countdown: Arena will feature characters from at least 26 of DC Comics 52 multiverses.

* Final Crisis will be a stand alone title with no “required” tie-in books.

* In a future episode of Booster Gold, Booster will act to save Barbara Gordon from the attack that ends her career as Batgirl and leads to her becoming Oracle. There will also be a special #0 issue coming out between issues #6 and #7 that will tie in to Zero Hour.

* Green Lantern #25 will be a double-size issue and it will contain a preview of the last part of the “trilogy” by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver – Green Lantern: Rebirth and The Sinestro War being Parts One and Two.

* In answer to a request for more kids books that aren’t a spin-off of a cartoon, DC is releasing three new children’s titles. Tiny Titans – a book based off of a popular children’s cartoon in the DC Universe which is based on the Teen Titans; a new Superfriends comic that will tie-in to a new action figure line by Mattel; and Shazam! – a new Captain Marvel series in the spirit of Jeff Smith’s recent mini-series.

* Fans of James Robinson’s Starman who have wondered why the remaining uncollected issues haven’t been collected in a TP Format, wonder no more. Starting early next year, DC will be re-releasing Starman in an Absolute format. The first volume will collect the first 17 issues of the series.

* Blue Beetle #26 will be written entirely in Spanish.

* Sadly, the JLA/Hitman series did not sell well enough to draw consideration to an immediate re-collecting of the entire original Hitman series in TP format. However, The Powers That Be have not ruled out finishing collecting the series at a future date.

* DC Comics Editorial has no new information regarding a DC Comics MMORPG or the JLA Movie.

* Dan Didio shot down any suggestion that DC Comics would consider doing an on-line archive service similar to the one which Marvel Comics announced this week – one which allows fans access to read comics on-line but not download them for a monthly fee. Didio’s reasoning? “We want people to actually own the comics they’re paying us for.”

* There may be plans in the future to use Terry McGinnis (the Batman of the Batman Beyond future) in a story.

* There may be a mini-series centering upon the new Ion (Sodam Yat) in the future.

* Grant Morrison is signed to continue writing Batman into 2008 and beyond.

* Adam Hughes is still at work on All-Star Wonder Woman. Beyond that, the only thing that can be said about the All-Star Line is that “books will continue to come out”.

* Regarding plans for any future Green Arrow stories by Andy Diggle, Dan Didio said “Not yet”.

* All-New Atom still not in danger of being canceled, according to Dan Didio.

* Manhunter WILL return.

* Breacn (the Captain Atom of Wildstorm Comics) will return in Countdown: Arena.

* There are more DC Comics straight-to-video movies on the way.

He stands at the center of the universe, old as the stars and wise as infinity. And he can see the turning of the last page long before you’ve even started the book. He’s like rain and fog and the chilling touch of the grave. He is called many names in a thousand tongues on a million worlds. Heckler. The Smirking One. Riffer. The Lonely Magus. Wolf-Brother. The God of Snark. Mister Pirate. The Guy In The Rafters. Captain. The Voice In The Back. But here and now, in this place and in this time, he is called The Starman. And... he's wonderful.