Ultimate Origins #1 - Michael Turner variant

When I first mentioned the variant cover for ULTIMATE ORIGINS #1, I cracked that I'd have a hard time deciding between the Simone Bianchi cover and the Turner variant. Which is because I am decidedly not a Turner fan.
Since then, I've seen the Turner variant...

Holy Moley!! I had to check the signature to make sure that was really by Turner. That's hot!
Turner's women are usually drawn skraggly and anorexic looking. But -- woo!

52 vs Countdown vs Trinity

Are people just stupid?
I keep reading over and over all over the internet people whining about how they aren't going to read TRINITY because "52 was a let down" or because "COUNTDOWN sucked."
I'm like "What the huh?"
How is that any kind of relevant argument? Because all three titles were/are weekly?
Seriously, that's like saying "TEEN TITANS sucks; so I'm not going to read JONAH HEX -- they're both monthlies!"
If you can't stand Kurt Busiek. If you think Mark Bagley is a hack. If Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman aren't your cup o' tea. Those are perfectly fine reasons for avoiding TRINITY.
But if you're basing your decision on stories/titles/characters/creative teams that are COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY UNRELATED -- what the hell?

FINAL CRISIS #1 cover

So I was over at DCComics.com and came across the cover to FINAL CRISIS #1 with what appears to be the final design/dress/layout/whatever:

Honestly, this cover does absolutely nothing for me. It doesn't jump out. It doesn't say "BUY ME!" There's no excitement. No grab. Nothing. If I wasn't already sold, I'd probably just pass it up.

FINAL CRISIS: First Look!

From Entertainment Weekly:

Roughly two decades after saving the world(s) in Crisis on Infinite Earth, and a couple of years after staving off an Infinite Crisis, DC's go-to do-gooders — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and more — will round out the trilogy with Final Crisis. In the series (out monthly for seven issues beginning May 28), ol' Justice League nemesis Libra returns to corral a rogues' gallery of villains to upend all that is good and pure.

Red Skies!! AAHHHH!!

Five pages from FINAL CRISIS (art and script!)!
JG Jones take on DARKSEID!

Countdown to Birds of Prey: Day 69

69 more days until the DVD release of BIRDS OF PREY The Complete Series!!!

The DVD set, due July 15, 2008, includes the 13 aired episodes, the unaired pilot and the complete web-series GOTHAM GIRLS!

About GOTHAM GIRLS (edited from Wikipedia):

Gotham Girls is an animated Flash cartoon series about the females of Gotham City, created and produced jointly by Warner Brothers and Noodle Soup Productions. Episodes starred Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Batgirl and Catwoman in short stories of varying length about the daily lives of the characters.

Gotham Girls is one of the few series of Flash animations made by a professional publisher of mainstream cartoons, and features professional voice-acting by the same actresses and actors as those who voiced the television series.

The series lasted for three seasons (10 episodes each), with each episode released month-by-month. While the first two seasons featured primarily comedic episodes, the third season attempted to make the show more serious. These episodes linked directly to Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero. Dropping the magician Zatanna from its lineup and adding a host of new characters to the cast, including Detective Renee Montoya, each episode from this series tied into the next, forming a collective thirty-minute whodunit. The storyline also dealt with issues not seen since Batman: The Animated Series, such as the corruption of the Gotham Police Force, Poison Ivy's environmental crusade and Commissioner Gordon's wavering faith in costumed superheroes.

Voice cast

• Adrienne Barbeau – Selina Kyle (Catwoman)
• Arleen Sorkin – Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn)
• Diane Pershing – Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley (Poison Ivy)
• Tara Strong – Barbara Gordon (Batgirl)
• Bob Hastings – Commissioner James Gordon

Pre-Order Birds of Prey: The Complete Seriesfrom Amazon.com
Buy Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZerofrom Amazon.com
Buy Batman - The Animated Series, Volumes 1-4from Amazon.com

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN Trailer

Really, it's been a long time since I've had any interest in a Marvel animated series. But this one looks like it could be alright. There appears to be a lot of influence from the movie series, but it's still obviously steeped in the comic book mythology. I just might have to check it out.

Official Press Release

The first, official trailer for Marvel's upcoming animated series, "Wolverine and the X-Men," is here! Packed with more mutants than you can shake a stick at, check out what's in store for a world in which Professor X has been taken out and Wolverine must lead the X-Men into a very uncertain and dangerous future!

"Wolverine and the X-Men" begins as an explosive event shatters the lives of the X-Men and takes away their mentor, Professor X. The beaten heroes, including Beast, Storm, Cyclops and Nightcrawler, walk away from it all but then they are given a rare glimpse into the future, where they see a world in utter ruin…ruled by giant destructive robots. They discover the world has spiraled out of control because the X-Men have given up. So now the most legendary of all X-Men, Wolverine, must take the lead on the ultimate mission -- to prevent the world's destruction -- while fending off enemies Magneto and The Brotherhood.

New DARK KNIGHT Trailer

from Newsarama:

The new trailer for The Dark Knight hit theaters this weekend, and has hit the web.

The new footage in the trailer offers the largest look yet at the world of this Batman film, including more chilling footage of the Joker, his plan, explosions, more Batcycle, Harvey Dent in action (and hints of what he may yet become) and a flying Batman.

Deja Vu

Everything you touch just falls apart like shattered glass...

Superboy-Prime from
INFINITE CRISIS: SECRET FILES & ORIGINS


ACTION COMICS 864


SUPERGIRL 30

TRINITY: First Look!

Check out MySpace Comic Books Blog for an EXCLUSIVE 5-page first look at the new DC Universe weekly series, TRINITY!

TRINITY 1-4
Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza
Art by Mark Bagley & Art Thibert, Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens, Tom Derenick & Wayne Faucher and Mike Norton & Jerry Ordway
Covers by Carlos Pacheco

DC's new weekly series TRINITY explodes in an extra-sized debut issue featuring art by fan-favorite Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-Man) & Art Thibert with lead stories and dialogue by Kurt Busiek (SUPERMAN, ASTRO CITY)!

The lead feature explores the unusual bond - and importance - of DC's top three characters, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, as a mysterious dream links them together and may prophesy important changes in their trinity!

Plus, a co-feature in issue 1 explores the mysterious connection between several villains who are watching the Trinity -as well as the near future for these characters and their surrounding world! Co-features in issues 2-4 fill in back-story on some of the other important players in this major storyline. These stories are written by Busiek & Fabian Nicieza with art by Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens (NIGHTWING, GREEN ARROW), Tom Derenick & Wayne Faucher and Mike Norton & Jerry Ordway (ALL-NEW ATOM, INFINITE CRISIS).

Issue 1 40 pg, issues 2-4 32 pg, FC, All $2.99 US

Issue 1 on sale June 4; issue 2 on sale June 11; issue 3 on sale June 18; issue 4 on sale June 25

New INCREDIBLE HULK Trailer

This trailer does a lot better job of selling the movie than the teaser trailer did.