DC Comics have long been full of dark and evil gods, constantly making trouble for our heroes and heroines. But as bad as Darkseid, Ares and their ilk might be, you know the comic book gods that really scare me?

The ones some of DC writers seem to worship.

Now, the existence of a secret cult that meets in the basement of 1700 Broadway on the nights of full moons, their identities hidden even from one another by ritual cloaks and hoods, to chant in a secret, blasphemous language and bow before a profane, obscene stone idol of a hideous monster-god is just a theory of mine.

I have no actual proof of it, other than the suggestion that surely there must be some reason so many writers have begun their new series or new story arcs with a blood sacrifice, as if it were part of a ritual beseeching some entity for success.

It’s 2003, and Judd Winick and Geoff Johns are about to launch new volumes of The Outsiders and Teen Titans respectively. Their storyline kicks off in a special miniseries in which several characters are killed.

It’s 2005, and the pair—joined by Greg Rucka—are about to set the DC Universe on a course towards Infinite Crisis, and they kick it all off in a special one-shot in which they kill Blue Beetle II.

In 2008, Winick gets ready to relaunch a new Titans title, and he does so by slaughtering a half-dozen minor characters.

That same year, the Grant Morrison-written Final Crisis opens with the deaths of Orion and Martian Manhunter.

Surely there must be some reason for all this blood, and since it is the blood of fictional comic book characters, I can only imagine it’s a very peculiar, quasi-religious reason.

It can’t possibly be a creative or dramatic reason, because it’s been done so often in such a short span of time, and despite their occasional shortcomings, all of these men—even Judd Winick, whose work I like the very least—are talented, and have certainly read enough comic books to know that seeing a character get killed barely moves the needle of fan interest, let alone excitement.

These same writers have also been simultaneously restoring dead characters to life during that same time, even undoing some of the most “sacred” comic book deaths, like that of Jason Todd and Barry Allen, further making the act of death meaningless within the context of their fictional universe.

So they must worship an evil god that feeds on the imaginary blood of fictional characters—It’s the only thing that makes any sense.

I haven’t mentioned James Robinson yet.

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Warner Home Video keeps putting all of DC Comics’ animated properties on DVD, and my shelving may need a expansive upgrade. Courtesy of TV Shows on DVD (THE BEST website devoted to, well, TV shows on DVD), WB made available a press release on their latest offering from Super Friends: Season 1, Volume 1.

You can read the press release for all the details of this January 5, 2010 release, but the main gist of this is that we finally got the “Wendy & Marvin Years,” the ones that first put Super Friends on the map. I believe they are also the only SF episodes narrated by the late great Ted Knight, a voice acting staple of DC Comics’ animated output in the 1960s. My only complaint at the moment is the DVD cover art. I never have a problem with the classic stock art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, but considering that every previous release did something a little more original, refurbishing art from the actual series, this seemed like an uncharacteristically lazy way to go. Plus I can get real nitpicky and point out that the Wonder Woman on this cover is sporting a costume that did not grace the pages of her own comic until almost 10 years later. Considering that this volume has the distinction of featuring Wendy Marvin & Wonder Dog (not to mention guest appearances by the Flash, Green Arrow and Plastic Man), it’s a shame they didn’t work with that into a more unique cover design.

Back in May, I brought up the story on how popular media outlets that cover the toys & collectibles trade were no longer getting advance notice from DC Direct on store releases like action figures, statues and other such items. Gone were the days for action figure fans like myself to get an appropriate heads up on product delays (still waiting for Series 1 of Blackest Night figures, by the way) and when items would possibly move up in the schedule. This has been an invaluable tool for me when keeping a monthly budget on the collectibles that are on my radar. And you know, it’s especially useful when the holidays are approaching.

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If there was a book that isn’t Sandman more deserving of oversized, supersaturated Absolute edition, Promethea is it. It’s a sometimes-skipping, sometimes-running, sometimes-strolling journey through a dream world as wild and beautiful as Neil Gaiman’s but ruled by a warrior-queen who’s everything Wonder Woman ought to be.

Promethea is a living story, and she’s just taken over a new human host. The previous incarnations, like something out of Joseph Campbell, have all left their mark on her, and they each have something to teach young Sophie Bangs, a college student whose research has led her to Promethea’s tale.

I love Alan Moore (which should almost go without saying) and yet I’d never read these stories, which are probably the most like me of any of his works. Promethea is in one sense the wealth of woman-knowledge and magic passed down from generation to generation, and that’s an idea I can certainly get behind. But the story is less about ideas than about feelings; less a story than an experience.

Imagination-scapes unfurl across double-page spreads full of symbols that evoke a visceral reaction and yet are things you’ve never seen or heard of. It makes me want to write, or dream, or write about dreams. Hell, it makes me want to draw, and I’m no good at that.

Layered into the story are thoughtful critiques of power, hierarchy, patriarchy, as well as pokes and gibes at mainstream comic storytelling. The tale gets stranger as it goes on, spinning off into splashy explanations of Moore’s thoughts on magic and myth within the myth he’s created.

It’s less a narrative than a trip, fables layered on top of stories and characters’ identities shifting into dreams. If Watchmen is Moore’s Ulysses, then Promethea is Finnegans Wake and it demands the same experience—stop trying to make it make sense and just let it wash over you and enjoy the ride.

Last week, Paul O’Brien and Marc-Oliver Frisch posted their monthly analysis of Marvel Comics and DC Comics sales figures, assembled from ICv2.com’s numbers, at Publisher Weekly’s The Beat.

I always read these with great interest, in large part because they give me the best idea of how single issues of comics seem to be selling—at least in relation to one another—in a format someone as numbers-averse as me can I understand.

God only knows how accurate the numbers themselves actually are, as Marvel and DC don’t share their exact figures (and, of course, why would any business open up their ledgers to consumers? I wouldn’t mind knowing how much it costs to print an issue of New Avengers, or what Brian Michael Bendis’ page rate is, and how much Marvel might profit off of each, but hell, it’s not like it’s any of my business).

Anyway, this particular round of analysis, addressing August sales, was particular interesting to me, as it revealed how certain books I was rather curious about were did or were doing in the Direct Market.

After the jump, some random thoughts I had while reading through the data, for your edification/entertainment/time-wasting/ignoring.

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I love snark, I love comics, and I love online social networking programs. So basically this is the Fluffernutter sandwich of the Internet for me.

The Invincible Super-Blog’s very own Chris Simms has posted even more of these superhero Facebook statuses over on Comics Alliance. It’s almost impossible for me to pick a favorite — they’re all equally brilliant. (But Daredevil and Spider-Man might be a little more brilliant.)

Super Max…. meet Supermax.

Reuters has reported that Columbia Pictures has picked up the script for a film called Supermax.

This is not to get confused with the long-in-development feature “Super Max” by Warner Bros. and David Goyer, which forces Green Arrow to team up with inmates to survive a metahuman prison riot. Instead, Columbia’s film forces a prison guard to team up with inmates to survive… a supernatural prison riot?

Hoo boy. That’s a lot of coincidinks here. Good thing this sort of thing isn’t anything like David Goyer’s earlier film, Death Warrant. That movie is about Jean-Claude Van Damme as a cop teaming up with inmates in a prison riot. Er… never mind.

The Source has revealed some preview images of Francis Manapul’s take on the Flash!

Manapul said that he would be doing his own inks and watercolors on the new project, which teams him up again with his Adventure Comics collaborator Geoff Johns. The book is due out early next year.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold
The Mayhem of the Music Meister

“As I regale you with my story
you know you’ll have no choice
but to do my evil bidding
when you hear this booming voice!”

– Music Meister (Neil Patrick Harris)

This is the musical episode that you’ve heard about that was shown at San Diego Comic Con this year, and it was worth the wait. Well, to me anyways. I have a theater background, as well as a degree in it, so this was right up my alley. It hasn’t debuted yet on American TV, but aired a few days ago over in the UK.
Today, I see it found its way to YouTube and below my review is the episode yourself (split into 3 parts) in case you want to view it yourself.

Now, I am a bit biased towards something like this. I mean, we’ve seen Adam West’s Batman dance, but this is something entirely different all together. Neil Patrick Harris supplies the voice for the Music Meister (a villain that resembles the Fiddler) though instead he uses song to induce a trance instead of an instrument. There are some great musical numbers here and NPH does an excellent job showcasing his talent. For those of you worried, Diedrich Bader’s Batman doesn’t have a song, though Grey DeLisle as Black Canary nails it. Then again, are you really surprised by Ms. DeLisle’s extraordinary voice? You shouldn’t be by now.
There’s action, drama and a tad of romance thrown in this episode. Just when I thought this show couldn’t get any better, they throw something like this at me. Michael Jelenic (who has worked on the Wonder Woman and Legion of Super-Heroes animated programs) wrote four out of the six songs and they are sure to drive you batty, but, in a good way.

Author’s Note:
However, while they were linked to the official Batman: The Brave and the Bold Facebook Fan page, the episode has been since taken down. We apologize for those who didn’t get a chance to view it.

He is the night — he is Batman! Kevin Conroy has been the voice of the Bat for nearly two decades, spanning from a TV series to the recently released Batman: Arkham Asylum video game. Warner Home Video talked with Conroy about assuming the Mantle of the Bat once more in the upcoming animated feature Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, due out September 29th.

QUESTION: You’ve been doing this role for nearly 19 years. Are there still challenges to doing the voice of Batman?

KEVIN CONROY: I guess the biggest challenge to doing any kind of animation voice work is that you only have your voice to tell the story. And you want to keep it real and you don’t want to get cartoony, especially now because the audiences are much more sophisticated. Anything over the top is going to read over the top. So it’s a very fine line that people walk. For Batman, I think the biggest challenge is the timber of the voice that I established early on. I just kind of improvised it and it stuck. It’s very deep in my register – very throaty – and whenever it gets emotional, it’s a difficult sound to create with a lot of volume technically without blowing your chords out. So there’s all kinds of tricks you learn along the way of how to produce a sound, how to produce it without injuring yourself, and how to juice it enough. It’s a delicate, funny balancing act.

Recording Superman/Batman: Public Enemies was actually easy because of the cast that Andrea (Romano) put together. Tim (Daly) and Clancy (Brown) – all of us have worked together a lot over the years, and there’s a real shorthand when you’re dealing with people who have done a lot of it and know what they’re doing. Which is really a pleasure. Andrea doesn’t have to say very much for me to know what she wants.

QUESTION: What do Tim Daly and Clancy Brown bring to their respective roles?

KEVIN CONROY: Tim brings to Superman that strong voice, but there’s also a real humanity to Tim as an actor and that really comes through. So there’s strength but there’s a great sensitivity, and that’s unique about his take on Superman.

Clancy is great at being crazy. He’s a very talented actor. He’s got that great sound, that resonate voice. And yet when you’ve got that kind of power under you, you can afford to be very casual with it. It makes his sinister quality so much more frightening when this guy with this voice is just being very debonair.

QUESTION: What can people expect to find different about Superman/Batman: Public Enemies than most crossover stories?

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All right, Bat-fans, make sure you’ve got your insulin ready, because the wooby factor is about the skyrocket.

The Source has announced that next month’s Batman and Detective Comics has a little something extra — and by that, I mean a second feature by Derek Fridolfs and artist Dustin Nguyen called “Lil’ Gotham,” which basically crams all the humor and cuteness they can into their tiny little frames.

Batman Annual #27, which is due out October 7, will have “Off Rogue Racing,” while October 14th’s Detective Comics Annual #11 will have “Question & Answer.”

Nic Cage, one-time Ghost Rider and star of the Wicker Man remake, once asked “how’d it get burned??” Well, this is the answer.

That’s right, a costume test of a bemulleted Cage wearing a shiny Superman suit, presumably from the aborted Tim Burton reboot of the series. Cinematical inflicted this upon us, but you want to see more, check it out at the source at TimBurton.jp. There are sketches there, too. I feel bad, since it’s not really Cage’s fault — and I’ll bet that if you had the chance to be Superman, you’d probably rub the Vasoline on yourself.

But seriously, you’ve been warned. I feel like Nic Cage at the end of the Wicker Man.

So it’s well known in sports — prep, collegiate and professional — that the rookies get hazed. From taping football players to the goalposts, to freshmen carrying the game film and projector on the road (scroll down toward to item #10b & c to read which Hall of Famer had to do that, AFTER winning a national championship!).

But New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi may have to answer the question “How is this punishment?”
Pictured with the skipper are some of the rookies currently wearing Yankees jerseys in their day jobs. This year the theme was clearly Batman, and a couple years ago it was apparently Wizard of Oz. That time I can see how dressing up as Dorothy was the unfortunate assignment. I guess this year the raw deal went to the players suited up as Catwoman and Robin.

My biggest question was this:
That guy dressed up as the Penguin is a Major League Baseball player??

Batman: Cacophony

Writer: Kevin Smith

Artist: Walt Flanagan

Inker: Sandra Hope

Published by DC Comics

Hardcover, 142 pages, $19.99

As he throws out one self-deprecating line after another, Kevin Smith can make what he does look easy but it would be a mistake to dismiss what he’s done with Batman: Cacophony. In his introduction, he readily admits he can do better but  what he really means is that he’s inspired to take the work further. And, after reading this new hardcover collection, you should come away looking forward to more.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Smith’s take on Batman. Some of my comics friends had been put off by Smith’s Batman not saying what Batman would say. And then there’s the whole thing with the Joker taking a walk on the wild side. Well, it’s not exactly too big of a leap to see the character as gay. The one scene where he’s all too eager to act on his desires with the man who could likely kill him is beyond the pale but certainly within Joker territory. The few times Batman seems to slouch into something less than what we’d expect are minimal. Basically, along with artist Walter Flanagan, this is Kevin Smith’s Batman and it works best to go with it.

The quirky moments, I came to see, did not take me out of the story, especially if I’ve already accepted the world that I’m in. And, for the purists who may not even want to give this a chance, the quirk works and it does not overwhelm what is a solid story.

We start at the gates to Arkham Asylum. Due to the recent economic crash, frenzied cost cutting measures by the board lead to the firing of the front gate security guards. The money saved, however, promptly goes to the board’s year-end bonuses. Of course, who would ever want to break into Arkham Asylum? This night, it’s two separate killers both looking for the Joker.

As the story unfolds, we see one of the killers is Kevin Smith’s villain, Onomatopeia, from his Green Arrow run. And the other killer is a vigilante, Deadshot. Each will play supportive roles as will another minor baddie, Maxie Zeus, who has built an empire by converting the Joker’s venom into a designer drug. The Joker, in the scheme of things, has been reduced to the role of bait in a plot to lure Batman but he’s definitely the star of the show as well as a great vehicle for Smith’s humor to boot.

This book also includes the first draft script to Issue Three so you can get a sense for yourself of the number of revisions that went into the final work. Needless to say, Kevin Smith is a huge talent and he still won’t win over everyone. Having just read the first issue of Smith’s latest Batman run, The Widening Gyre, I would highly recommend getting this collection and it will likely win you over if you’re receptive and add to your appreciation of the current run.

Say your comic book won an Eisner Award for something, say, Best Publication For Kids or Cutest Redesign of a Jack Kirby Character, whatever. You’re definitely going to want to let everyone know about the honor, right? Now, what’s the best way of doing it?

There’s the standard strategy, of putting a blurb or tag about it on the cover, which Tiny Titans #20 employed…

…which is definitely effective. But surely there’s a better way to make sure your readers know that you totally won an Eisner. Perhaps by having it on panel for an entire page, as in this sequence from the issue, in which Alfred is shown dusting it while Robin and his friends ask if they can play in the Batcave?

But have they gone far enough? Perhaps to be on the safe side, they can have the Eisner Award gain sentience and start attending Sidekick Elementary School and hanging out in the Titans Treehouse with the rest of the kids.

(By the way, Tiny Titans #20 is awesome.)

Did you read Blackest Night #3 this week? Did you see this ad?

In addition to hyping the new Justice League of America creative team of James Robinson and Mark Bagley, it looks like it fills in all those silhouettes on the previously released image.

It looks like they didn’t quite play fair with those silhouettes, as the characters are drawn at random sizes, so as to make them difficult to identify, but who cares, they’re filled-out now. So is that the line-up? Or just characters appearing in the issue? My guess is the former, if they went to the trouble of obscuring the characters when initially releasing the image in the first place.

If so, it’s a pretty interesting line-up, seemingly chucking the roster and its changes from the Brad Meltzer-to-Dwayne McDuffie run on the title completely in favor of an (almost) all-new team drawing from three sources: Robinson’s Justice League: Cry For Justice series, Robinson’s Superman and the original New Teen Titans line-up.

But are they worthy of Justice League membership? We’ll take a closer look at that cover image, and then I’ll discuss my (admittedly arbitrary) criteria for Justice League worthiness, after the jump.
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Ready for the next wave of DC Universe Classics?

Well, Mattel has graciously sent over some pictures of the latest figures, which will ship in the Spring of 2010. You can pre-order the whole set or individually at Entertainment Earth, and see more images after the cut!

Mary Marvel:

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TV Guide provides is with the first look at Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as John Corben, better known to Superman fans as METALLO. Thanks to this, by way of Smallville, I now have a reason to gladly stay home on Friday nights.

Power of — water! Shape of — Tom Welling getting hosed!

Sci Fi Scoop, who illustrated the point with the image above, has reported that Smallville might get a bit more… wonderful… with the introduction of the Wonder Twins.

According to them, David Gallagher (the 7th Heaven actor, not to be confused with the similar-yet-different spelling of the High Moon creator) and Allison Scagliotti (Warehouse 13) are going to be on the show, and are rumored to be playing the Wonder Twins.

Now, you could argue, as Topless Robot does, that this means the show is officially out of ideas. I, for one, am curious to see if Gleek will make his live action appearance.

[Original Source: Kryptonsite]

Because min seems to be missing some pages.

See, the first issue of DC’s big summer event series (which will, of course, last well into winter) cost $3.99 and was 40 pages long. But the second issue, which still costs $3.99, is only 24 pages long (27 if you want to count the three-page illustrated prose back-up, presented as an excerpt from Blackhand’s diary.)

DC didn’t deliberately publish fewer pages in the second issue of a miniseries while leaving the price at the elevated, for-40-pages level, did they? (The solicitation on their website says the book is 40 pages long; that’s counting ads though, as #1’s solicitation says it’s 48 pages long, and the average 22-page DC book is solicited as 32 pages—22 story pages and 10 pages of ads. But even subtracting 10 pages for ads, that 40 page figure is still off by three-to-six pages).

Because that’s not very cool. That’s what Marvel Comics did with Secret Invasion—start the series with an oversized $3.99 issue and then drop back to 22 pages for the rest of the $3.99 sereies—which was the point at which $3.99-for-22-pages pricing went from something reserved for Max and Marvel Knights imprint books to being commonplace among the Marvel Universe books too.

With their embrace of back-ups in their $3.99 books, I thought DC was going to eschew Marvel’s strategy of “Eh, the suckers will buy it no matter what we charge for it! Mwa ha ha ha!” It was looking like DC might be less evil in their pricing strategies, but perhaps they’re just slower to be evil…?

This does not bode well for future.