With many online games adopting some sort of free-to-play model, this news isn’t surprising. The three tiers that will be available to players deciding if they want to pay or not are as follows:

Free: New players will now have access to the current gameplay in DC Universe Online (including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts), with the ability to create two characters, join a league and many other benefits. Free level players will be able to purchase downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers and more through microtransactions.

Premium: Any player who has spent at least $5 USD (including former paid subscribers and new players who have purchased $5 of in-game items) will qualify for the Premium access level. Premium level players will have more benefits available to them than the Free level player, including additional character slots, additional inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Downloadable adventure packs, additional character slots, and more can be purchased in-game.

Legendary: Maximum features and benefits are included at this level. Loaded with enhanced additional features, Legendary access will be available for a $14.99 USD monthly fee and includes all DLC packs at no cost, more than 15 character slots, more than 80 inventory slots, the ability to form unrestricted-sized leagues, and many other benefits.

Most of the re-designs are being handled by none other than Jim Lee. These revamps can affect appearance, origin, age or sex. The hope was that the updates would appeal to the ‘current generation of readers.’ A big example of this is Superman being noticeably younger in this image.

We’ll have more as it breaks.

The first game update for DCUO includes:

Bane Duo: Two-player battle against the villain
Open World PvP: New Gotham PvP zone
Batcave 2 Raid: New 8-player raid zone added to Batcave, where players will fight alongside Batman against Brainiac and Brother Eye
Broker: Players can visit the auction houses in the Watchtower or the Hall of Doom to swap gear with each other to get their hero or villain completely tricked out
New collections, races and investigations

PCS Villain, Colt 45 running across the bay

Recently, Sony Online Entertainment brought PopCultureShock to tour the SOE Studio in Austin, Texas where they’ve put a tremendous effort in creating the much-anticipated DC Universe Online game. After a tour of the office and a debriefing of the game’s inception, creative process, and breakdown of the main elements of the game, I got to spend a few hours exploring the game in Beta, and what follows are my first impressions of the game. Click on images to enlarge

Harley Quinn guards the Joker Suit

DCU Online is not a pure MMO, at least not in what longtime MMO-ers are used to; it’s more of a hybrid of a few game types mixed together. There’s a little real-time strategy, a little bit of RPG, and all of it is encompassed in this MMO world. It’s heavy on the combat and logistically so because DCU Online is getting a simultaneous launch on the PS3 and PCs. Because of the amount of combat that’s involved, I found the PS3 Dualshock controller to be much more natural when dishing out combos and making changes on the fly. I played on a PC, but played with a Dualshock controller after quickly ditching the keyboard route.

Custom Make it Your Own

For those that don’t know, DCU Online has always been about a custom hero that you bring to the table. One of the early misconceptions is that you’d be able to play the classic DCU heroes and villains for an entire campaign, but not so. It’s possible to play a few dozen of them in alert missions, and you can tailor make your character to look like and act like your favorites, but it’s better to make it your own, no? Well you have that choice, regardless. You create a character that exists in the DCU, and you choose to be male or female; design your build and stature including both the look and abilities/powers; and live out the fantasy of a hero or villain. Those choosing the heroic path get to pick one of DC’s classic Trinity: Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman as their mentor, while those who decide the villainous route get to choose from their arch enemies in Lex Luthor, Joker, or Circe.

One of Gotham's finest getting the beat down, or with the red flashing, is it me who is getting beat down?

The name I chose for my super villain was Colt 45. (The creative juices were flowing a little slow that day and I’ll blame it on traveling eastward.) It’s so easy to make a character with the powers you always wanted as a kid, and so I did. I had to go for super speed (I love the Flash and ran track) and had to have sorcery powers because I wanted to see the visuals of comic book magic. Besides super speed, flight and acrobatics are the additional choices in terms of traveling. Given my limited time with the game, the ability to cover a large amount of area in a short time was a luxury I considered heavily.

Other core powers include: gadgets, fire, ice, nature, and mental while even more staple powers can be unlocked and added to your utility belt. You can pick your personality, which you can see in your character’s saunter or posture when you leave your character idle (I chose flirty), fighting style (martial arts), and then the costume. I knew that I could have spent hours just on costumes so I patterned my look after Deathstroke, and then tweaked the colors. You can pick the color for each piece of the costume or you can pick from several three-color palettes that can be helpful in shortcutting this part of the creation. In the end Colt 45 looked a little more early 90’s comics than I ever intended but I think gamers and comic fans alike, are going to love making multiple characters. After about 25 minutes of creating my character, I just wanted to jump into the action but it’s easy to spend an eternity in character creation.

Running down a building

No matter what combination you choose, each campaign starts off in Braniac’s ship where you have to escape out of. Here you’ll get a tutorial and get your feet wet while coming to grips with the controls. Once you exit, you get brought to one of two worlds. All villains and techies go to Gotham. Everyone else is sent to Metropolis to start. Shown here are both images from Gotham, Metropolis and the Legion of Doom and you’ll get a taste of some of the massive worlds created by the design team.

The Dashboard

In Gotham or Metropolis, your mentor will list out your goals to the bottom right of the screen; your map is in the upper right corner; your customized utility and abilities “belt” lies at the bottom center while the health and magic/powers bar is at the familiar upper left. None of the Heads Up Display is overwhelming or covers up the action, just make sure you’re playing with a widscreen set.

A different view of running on water; up close and behind

Feeling the Need, the Need for Speed

I loved playing with a character with super speed. The blur and lightning visuals in combination with the sounds of the Speed Force were awesome as seen in the screen caps. Being able to run up and down buildings was a trip. Camera movement and angles were fluid and it gives you unlimited access to Gotham City and Metropolis. Because I just had to, I ran across the Metropolis Bay, and when I stopped in the middle, I plopped right in and began treading water.

This is not an endorsement for the super speed route for travel powers. When creating my villain, I was torn on choosing flight or super speed. While it’s possible to unlock flight, you just don’t command it like you do if it is one of your main abilities. In speaking with the other journalists, the acrobatics route is apparently a lot of fun too and very intuitive. After about three straight hours of super speed though I can tell you, I had to take a break for my eyes. I was a bit too enthusiastic travelling and fighting in super speed mode, but luckily it’s very simple to toggle that on or off.

The sorcery powers added another level to the combat not normally seen in comic book console games. I could levitate detectives in the distance and knock them out in the middle of the air before they could set their feet down. I could cast spells and make Gotham City Police Department’s finest think they’re on fire. More time would have unlocked even cooler skills for sure.

One of the more exciting parts of the game is leveling up. Whenever I got a notification of a level up or an item grab, I’d race to see what exactly I could add to my fighting or grow my powers tree. The more combos you unlock and learn, the quicker you can get through battles.

When you level up, you get a chance to upgrade your fighting abilities, or your superpower. Also any items you pick up along the way or buy are added to your costume or arsenal on the fly. Because it’s an MMO, I was repeatedly reminded that there is no pause button, so if you want to make a change you can fly up to the top of a building and make the necessary changes.

Another suit in the Legion of Doom to unlock guarded by Mr. Freeze

The Verdict So Far

Essentially, you’re playing to get through 30 levels, the current cap, which amounts to roughly 40 hours of play. My propensity to explore everything would probably extend that period of time. But then the fun really begins because you can then enter the PvP mode where you get to interact with other players. Each month new missions and new worlds are being added to the game, potentially making the game as endless as your favorite monthly comics. There are battle suits (from actual stories) to unlock and use, several skill challenges and missions where you’ll need to team up with others online. For instance, we were shown an Alert Mission that transports you to Smallville where you take on Doomsday and fight beside the Justice League.

Gameplay is extremely smooth. There’s no jerking or staggering in battles, even when there’s as many as 15-20 characters on the screen. I also found no glaring glitches or noticeable areas where the game feels underdeveloped or needing more. The game is so close to completion and understandably, the delays have hurt the buzz, but it’s only because they are taking the time to put the detail that will overwhelm the most ardent DC Comics fan and gamer.

Voice acting for instance is one of the finishing touches needed to complete the game. Kevin Conroy is recording for Batman and Mark Hamill reprises his familiar role as The Joker. Other voices include Summer Glau (Supergirl), Adam Baldwin (Superman), James Marsters (Lex Luthor), Michelle Forbes (Circe), Diedrich Bader (Solomon Grundy), Gina Torres (Wonder Woman), Powers Boothe (Gorilla Grodd), Dwight Schultz (Flash-Barry Allen), Wil Wheaton (Robin-Tim Drake), Tony Todd (Darkseid, Kevin Michael Richardson (Clayface) and Robert Patrick (Hawkman).

The streets of Gotham City

In trying to describe the experience, I’ll compare it to other games I’ve played. The combat is reminiscent of God of War or Batman: Arkham Asylum only with no cut sequences or stoppage of play; just fast, live, and seamless action. It can be intense, relentless, and button-mashing will be mandatory. The mentorship missions remind me of Grand Theft Auto, where you slowly gain skills and experience as you rise through the ranks of becoming a villain, or by doing accumulative acts of heroism. Bribing rookie GCPD cops or strapping bombs to their squad cars may not appeal to everyone, but that’s why you can put a stop to Gorilla Grodd and his apes.

The cities and environments are immersive and overwhelming at first glance. You can go to the Daily Planet, or Metropolis Stadium. The Batcave has the penny, the T-Rex, the Batmobile and a bunch of bats flying around. Comic readers will geek out interacting with artifacts and places that they’ve only read about. One thing I really enjoyed about DCU Online was that the learning curve was small but still presented a challenge. I felt I could come in, drop an hour or two whenever I wanted and not feel like I had to put in several hours at a time on each campaign to feel some sense of accomplishment.

A penthouse view of the Metropolis Bay.

Hardcore gamers may wonder how much they’ll enjoy this game, and I can’t answer that based on what it is each person is expecting out of the game. There’s plenty to see and do, that much I do know. What I can do is let you know what my perspective is on MMO’s, games and comics and how DCU Online fits in with that.

I came in with an open mind and a broad gaming experience, skepticism on paying a monthly fee for a game, and a long love and knowledge of comics. Though I am a console gamer and spend countless hours on my PS3, no MMO has made this comics fan take the plunge so far. I was not just thoroughly entertained with DCU Online; I’m brainstorming ways to shift my monthly disposable income around to accommodate playing this game in the winter. The DC Universe is a world I’m familiar with, unlike World of Warcraft or Everquest. I invest in a portion of the DCU each week in the comics I buy and that’s truly what the draw is for me with DCU Online: the characters, the universe and the license. The fact that the game delivers on multiple fronts is a bonus in my mind.

Hopefully my impressions keep the anticipation high for those waiting for DCU Online, which is now scheduled for early 2011 release. But if this wasn’t enough, throughout November and December we’re going to continue covering the game through to the release date. Check back here for screen shots and videos, an exclusive interview with DCU Online Senior Producer, Wes Yanagi, and a detailed tour of the SOE Austin Studios. We enjoyed what we learned at DC University and think comic fans and gamers alike may want to consider enrolling when Spring Semester arrives.

A glimpse of the massive Metropolis. In the distant skies is one of Braniac's ships

I’m actually loving the approach to the visuals in the film, from what I’ve seen thus far. Green Lantern’s definitely a character where you can be very high-concept in terms of the visuals, and the design for this makes sense to me. It’ll be interesting to see what the rest of the film has to offer.

SOE is citing more time is needed to address community feedback from the beta as the reason for the delay. A general ‘early 2011′ time frame was given with a more definite launch date to be defined as more information comes in from the external beta.

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #4 (DC): Like every issue in this series, the real reason for it is to let Gary Frank draw classic moments in Superman’s history. That’s pretty much it… But it’s a really, really good reason, as he nails every single one of them. Geoff Johns is channeling the tone of the Richard Donner movies here, which makes sense since Donner was one of Johns’ mentors. So we get a balance of silly humor and iconic moments. I’d argue the silly works much better here in the comics than it did in the movies, though even I’m a little strained to not wince at Parasite’s Homer Simpson-esque origin. Regardless, Johns knows how to write Lex Luthor, he knows how to write Lois Lane, and he knows how to write Superman. Here’s hoping we get him and Frank back on the title soon.

BATWOMAN IN DETECTIVE COMICS #861 (DC): This issue sees a couple of “new” additions. Jock takes up art chores from J.H. Williams III, which are difficult shoes for anyone to fill. We get a new story arc from writer Greg Rucka, exploring a new Gotham crazy called Cutter. And though its not exactly new, we cross-cut between Batman and Batwoman, both working the same case. Given how good this title has been, it’s hard to match up to the first bunch of issues, but Jock does a great job, bringing some interesting graphical motifs of his own. Rucka’s mystery is a little disappointingly easy to figure out, though well plotted as usual. And while I wish there was a little more “here’s how Batman and Batwoman are different,” which I think was the central idea, I expect those differences in philosophy will be laid out over the next two issues. Still one of the best titles on the stands, though here’s hoping Williams comes back soon (no insult to Jock).

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #41 (DC): I’ve been thinking a lot about not writing bad reviews of comics… I’m just not sure what it brings to the table, honestly. It’s hurtful for creators in a small industry, and might be funny for readers, but even if it wins you fans, it’s not the right type of fans. Anyway, I guess as long as you make it clear something isn’t good in a creative way, that’s probably enough?

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #6 (DC): Man… Watchmen is a really good comic. I hope I can write my own version of Watchmen someday.

SUPERGIRL #49 (DC): Before we even get into a review, how good is that cover? Easily my favorite of the week, and a contender for best of the year. Okay, on to the rest of the issue: I love this book. When Sterling Gates is given free reign to write a story about Supergirl (rather than getting caught up in an endless Superman cross-over), he delivers a damn near perfect comic book, replete with humor, pathos, and creative fights and villains. He wraps up Supergirl’s fight with Silver Banshee in this issue, but the real star is the second half, which shows the final (?) fate of Lana Lang. It’s no exaggeration when I say that I held my breath for the last few pages, it’s that tense and terrifying. Gates is easily following up on the promise he showed on his first issue on the title, and I can’t wait for next month’s #50… It should be a classic.

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #8 (DC): This is a spectacular issue of an underrated series. Part of the trend of titles that are nowhere near as over-sexed as their initial launches implied, Sirens true hero is artist Guillem March, who smooth style, along with Tomeu Morey’s beautiful shades and colors create a unique comic book reading experience. This issue, it stands out even more than usual, as March provided the plot, clearly as a way of stretching his talents. The packed panel structure provides an almost comic strip feel. Mixed with March’s sly renderings, the whole effect is unique and packed. Marc Andreyko’s script smartly is there to provide settings for March to draw, and stand back… Though, as usual, he writes a great, involving mystery, and good character moments. This is, quite possibly, the best issue of this series so far… And given that I’ve enjoyed Dini’s issues quite a bit, that’s saying a lot.

WONDER WOMAN #40 (DC): I’m glad we’re getting away from the Amazonian stuff that’s engulfed the last few issues, as writer Gail Simone excels at these sorts of more self-contained stories (at least in Wonder Woman). This issue, we get a new villain in The Crows, a group of children stirring up hatred all over Diana’s city. While most of the issue is spent with set-up and deck clearing from previous story lines, it’s heads and tails above what we’ve gotten from this title in a while, and a lot more fun. The last two pages in particular have Simone poking fun at Wonder Woman, superhero fights in general, and creating a fun cliffhanger for the next issue. I’m always rooting in the corner for this title, and this issue reminds me why.

JACK OF FABLES #42 (VERTIGO): I was a little miffed to learn that Jack of Fables (you know, the star of the book?) would be replaced by his “son” Jack Frost for the time being. And while the over the top diabolical humor has left with Jack Senior, in favor of swashbuckling adventure, I quite like this book now, as well. Right now, Willingham and Sturges are in the middle of an old-school adventure comic riff, mixing elements of Flash Gordon with Fables style magic. It’s fun to read, and breezy, though the story isn’t really doing anything new other than the riff… It’s comforting in its familiarity. I love pretty much every issue of this book, but can’t wait for its star to come back.

VICTORIAN UNDEAD #3 (WILDSTORM): Well, this continues to just be a delight. Seeing Sherlock Holmes and Watson sit down to a civilized lunch while London is overcome by outer-space zombies is just as incongruous as you’d hope it would be. And while this issue is big on exposition, with the explanations out of the way, we can get back to Holmes kicking zombie arse. But you know, in a very smart distinguished way. People may scoff, but this sort of purposeful silliness is what comics are all about, and I’m having a blast reading it.

The first is that this is far more Blackest Night #6.5 than Green Lantern #50, which is unfortunate. I’ve been loving how Johns has dovetailed the Green Lantern stories between issues of Blackest Night, planning out an arc for Hal Jordan than runs separately from the “main” series. And in particular how the GL stories have been more character based than the BN stories. So it’s a bit of a bummer to get a landmark issue that’s working more on one level (action!) than at least two (action and character!).

The second “but” is that, spoiler time, The Spectre has been taken over by a Black Lantern, and Hal Jordan’s immediate solution is to let Parallax, the evil entity that nearly destroyed the entire universe previously, free from his prison. There’s not even a ton of equivocation here. It’s like, to use the most awful example possible, if on the first day of World War II, America bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The reaction from the bewildered, horrified world would be, “Wait, what? You haven’t tried anything else yet.” Obviously I’m trivializing a sad day in world history by comparing it to a comic book, but given the import of Hal Jordan/Parallax to the DC Universe, I’d say it’s sort of the equivalent. I’m not going to say I have a million other solutions to the Spectre problem presented here, or that they should have stretched out this decision for a longer time than it took, but damn if it doesn’t come off as Hal Jordan kind of likes Parallax and was coming up with a lame excuse to see him again.

The third “but” is… Well, I actually kind of don’t want to say specifically what it is, in case Johns still has it up his sleeve. But years ago, when we first got that glimpse of Blackest Night at the end of The Sinestro Corps War, I smacked my forehead and said, “Of course! This means Johns can bring back [character], and finally bring to a crescendo the emotional arc of his entire run on Green Lantern.” And so far… That hasn’t happened. There’s still a few issues left, so I’m crossing my fingers and holding out hope, because if this character doesn’t come back, it’s a huge missed opportunity. It’s also, I understand, my own problem. It’s not up to me to dictate what Johns writes, and if he doesn’t do a story I want, just because I want it, doesn’t mean he’s wrong. It means I should get over it.

But, but, but… If he doesn’t at least have this moment, where [character] finally says… Something Hal Jordan has wanted to hear for a long time, at least since Green Lantern Rebirth, and mentioned several more times throughout the past 50 issues, it’s a real shame. I guess I’ll just have to stay tuned.

That all out of the way, though this issue is a little too two-fisted justice for my liking, there’s great art, fun fights, and ends with a cliff-hanger interesting enough that I’ll have to pick up the next issue. That’s probably an endorsement for this ish right there.

*Heh. Three butts.

The situation I alluded to not two sentences earlier is that teenage Joe, ostracized by his classmates, mourning the death of his father, and dealing with an emotionally absent mother, retreats into a possibly delusional fantasy land, filled with warring toys. Is it kind of like the recent Stuff of Legend? Yup. Is it like every other fantasy film ever made? Surely. Will it be ambiguous in the end whether Joe is crazy, or it was real? Well, probably. So what makes this worth it?

Sean Murphy. Grant Morrison takes ample breathers in his script (which, it should be mentioned, is well written and observed, even while cliche) to just allow Murphy to draw. And he draws the crap out of this book, from two page spreads of cemeteries, the inside of a house both cluttered and beautiful, and a splash of warring toys straight out of any childhood fantasy. His style mixes ultra realistic with cartoony to gorgeous effect, and though I could be wrong, this is probably exactly why Morrison is writing this series as straight-forwardly as he is. He’s being gracious enough to step back from the curtain, and allowing Murphy to shine. So come for the writing, stay for the art. And always ignore my metaphors about hamburgers.

STARMAN #81 (DC): Can I call this comic “ultimately frustrating,” and leave it at that? No? Okay, fine. In case you aren’t up to speed, DC brought back some of its “dead” titles in Blackest night cross-overs. And there was no title that made me more excited than James Robinson revisiting Starman, one of the best comics ever written. There’s probably no way that Robinson can effectively bring back Starman, honestly, as with each year he’s flatly refused to let Jack Knight back into DC continuity, the more intense the urge to see him increases. Which, to bring it all around, is probably why Robinson won’t write more Jack Knight stories, and why this comic is, in the end, a tease.

We get to see almost every other Starman supporting character fighting a back-from-the-dead David Knight, reflexively playing on the opening (and entire run) of the Starman series. And it’s a real thrill to see The Shade, the O’Dares, and all the rest back and interacting. Robinson doesn’t miss a beat writing these characters, and it feels like going home, in a certain way. But the reason its a tease? Well, for one, they mention Jack Knight, but we never get to see his triumphant return. And more than that, it’s only one issue long.

I realize this is the “this soup is terrible… And the portions are so small!” problem, but it’s there, so there it is. It’s a good issue, filled with brutal fights and great character moments, but at the end of the day, I’d rather have a full throttle, new Starman run than this one issue tease. Don’t fondle the tip if you’re not gonna put it in, know what I’m sayin’? Yeah you do.

BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #2 (DC): …On the other hand, Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins back together on The Flash, even for three issues, is like crack injected directly into my brain. Every criticism I’ve had of Blackest Night, all the lack of emotional character struggle, sense of humor, sense of fun and danger lacking from the main series is right here in this issue. From a character shouting, “Everything is better with Gorillas!” (something like that), to Captain Cold completely OWNING the Black Lanterns, this is the kind of issue that makes you clap with joy as you’re reading it. I know I’m a little biased, as the Johns/Kolins Flash run is one of my favorites of all time, but I love the Blue Lantern Flash stuff, even though I thought it was silly at the end of Blakest Night #6; and the Rogues are so much fun to read, and so well written, I want — no, need them to get their own ongoing. This is why comics are made.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 (DC): Here, I’ll keep this short, because the rest of these have been pretty long: Peter Tomasi writes a hell of a comic book. Big, fun moments, mostly action. It’s a middle chapter, and it feels that way, but there’s a creative solution to the Black Lantern infestation of Oa that makes a lot more sense than some of the other temporary solutions we’ve seen in other books. I’m really looking forward to Brightest Day under Tomasi and Johns’ steady hands.

THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR #5 (WILDSTORM): See, that’s what I’m talking about with putting The Authority in the worst situation possible, and then trying to figure out how to get them out of it. Space monsters attack The Carrier in The Bleed, and our team desperately tries to stop them. It’s nice to have two good Authority series running at the same time.

FABLES #92 (VERTIGO): Taking a break from the ongoing Witches/Mr. Dark storyline back in the good ol’ USA, this issue we revisit Ambrose and the kingdom of Haven. There’s a fun riff on Casey at the Bat, and Willingham is clearly lightening things up for a bit here. Though, there’s still enough adult humor and dark situations to make this a non-disposable lark. Every issue of this series is always good. Always. It’s kind of weird.

STREETS OF GOTHAM #8 (DC): Main story? Oh wow. Wowee. Wow. Yipes. Manhunter back-up is awesome, though, as usual. Guh. I have to wash out my brain now.

Along with the always reliable Jim Calafiore on art, this issue hits every single note you’d want it to hit, from Secret Six decadence, to Suicide Squad angst; a hard as nails Amanda Waller, and double crosses aplenty. If there’s one thing that brings it down, it’s the dual narration aspect between some character named Yasemin (sorry, never heard of her), and Black Alice. It’s a nice bit of parallelism, and I’m guessing an effort to bring out both author’s voices using a character on each team. But since it’s more of a side aspect to the issue, the idea never really coalesces. Beyond that quibble though, and the fact that you’ll have to follow the story back to Secret Six (which you’re reading anyway, right?) this issue is chock to the brim with action and humor. Plus? Barely any Blackest Night whatsoever! Which is kind of awesome!

THE MIGHTY #12: Though I’m sad to see this series go, I’m glad it got to wrap up in such a spectacular, emotional, and pretty much perfect manner, telling the full story (I think) that Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne, and Chris Samnee on art wanted to tell. The story of a Superman gone bad isn’t a new one; in fact it’s also being told over at BOOM! with Mark Waid’s Irredeemable. Which, for the record, is also pretty darn good, but how glad am I that the two stories are completely different, and completely successful in their own ways. I won’t spoil this issue for you, but suffice to say that this is a personal conflict between Alpha One and Gabriel Cole played out with huge action set pieces, and smart character moves. Plus, there’s a few tantalizing teases of where this series could go next (though, sadly, I don’t think we’re going to get any more of it), and a beautiful, perfectly writ last page. Do yourself a favor, and when the inevitable trade comes out, don’t hesitate to pick one up for yourself, and one up for a friend. This is one of those comics series you’ll kick yourself for not picking up in the store.

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #11: If I had one large criticism of this series, and I may have to eat my words next issue, it would be that there’s no overall arc from issue one to issue twelve. Series writers James Robinson and Greg Rucka played this like an ongoing, which worked wonders for slowly building the, er, world of New Krypton and its inhabitants, but in the span of twelve issues, didn’t really create an overarching narrative. But, quibbles! This is the best and most original a Superman book has been a good long while (main continuity, please; I’m not talking All-Star Superman) without splitting Supes into different colors, or giving him a mullet.

Pitting Superman’s essential goodness against governmental bureaucracy, the one thing he can’t actually beat with his super powers, has been great to read, and I’ll sorely miss it when it’s gone. Plus, Pete Woods art kills every time. Though I’d love to see him on almost anything, his slick, almost metallic looking art works perfectly for the future world of New Krypton, and I’d be happy to keep him on Superman until the end of time. Or 2013, when DC loses to the rights to the character, either one.

BLACKEST NIGHT WONDER WOMAN #2: Okay, I swear to god, there better be a mass resurrection at the end of Blackest Night, or I am NOT okay with the death in this issue. Side note: I was also not okay with Kyle Rayner’s “death,” too, but this one seems far more permanent. Otherwise, we get another issue of Greg Rucka focusing on the space between scenes in Blackest Night, and again, it’s a well structured, well arced story, well drawn by Nicola Scott. But it still feels like this is more of a side story. It’s a little hard to put my finger on, but both issues, while good reads, feel like “Oh, we’re putting out a Blackest Night: Superman, and Blackest Night: Batman, we should probably do Blackest Night: Wonder Woman, too, right?” And then they decided to throw something together, and accidentally got really good creators to do the series. I guess a shorter way of saying that is, it feels resigned to itself, if that makes sense. I don’t know. Anyway, reverse that death ASAP or else. Update: I queued this post to go up this morning, and then thinking about this issue overnight, it occurred to me that maybe this issue was some sort of dream sequence, particularly as *spoilers* Wonder Girl gets killed, Bruce Wayne Batman shows up, and Wonder Woman flits around the world without rhyme or reason. Especially as the action of this issue would impossible within the confines of Blackest Night #6. Regardless, I stand by the latter criticisms, just wanted to point out I’m wrong on the death thing.

CINDERELLA: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE #3: Chris Roberson fits into the Fables Universe without missing a beat, and while it lacks the wild creativity of the main series, or Jack of Fables, it can be excused for that, as it delivers a perfectly charming (no pun intended) spy story set in a world of magic. Cinderella and Aladdin are hot on the tail of illegally smuggled magical artifacts, and manage to fit in a good degree of flirting along the way. This isn’t the most groundbreaking of mysteries, but it flows well, and Roberson allows in some cultural commentary along the way. Meanwhile, back in Fabletown, things are getting wacky at the shoe store. I like this A Plot/B Plot structure quite a bit, but I’m hoping the two tie together in some way. Otherwise, we’re just getting comic relief for comic relief’s sake, which is a bit of a waste, when we could be finding out more about Cinderella’s world. Worth a pick-up if you’re a fan of Fables, but I wish it was just a little more insane.

- Another origin story? Especially for Batman and Superman, who we revisit the origins of on a monthly basis, you have two distinct sections of thought, both negative. One is that their origins are so well retold that every single living being in existence already knows who Batman and Superman are, and we really just don’t need to hear it again. On the other hand, these are new continuities, free of decades of storytelling, so the creators are free to tweak the origins at will. Except…

There’s a reason Batman and Superman have their origins retold, ripped off, and copied ad nauseum: they’re iconic, and pretty much perfect origin stories. Simple, to the point, and easy to repeat in one sentence, you can’t really do better than the original. Does that mean Johns and Straczynski shouldn’t try? Sure, who knows, they could improve on perfection.

But I honestly doubt either of them are superhuman enough to completely wash Superman and Batman from their minds completely, and not in some way make either winky references, or sly, shocking changes that only matter to comic book fans – the audience this is, ostensibly, not for anyway. This isn’t a slam against the writers, by the way, it’s just the way of things. The more you try to get an idea out of your head, the more it sticks there. Example: maggots are gross. There, now try to stop thinking about maggots for the next five minutes. Checkmate, Zalben.

- Ongoing graphic novels? I’m emphasizing the ongoing part, which DC also emphasized, but didn’t elaborate on. This, if anything, gets more to the crux of my curiosity with this project, and what I don’t think has been satisfactorily answered. In fact, if anything, elaborating on this, and talking about the publishing plans would do far more to drum up interest from the mainstream than “Hey! We have people you’ve kind of heard of writing something you can find out literally anywhere!”

So what does that mean? They’ve announced Welcome to Earth One as an ongoing, but didn’t elaborate whether that means, come March, we’re going to see Aquaman: Earth One, then Snapper Carr: Earth One in April, and so on… Or if it means Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, who have trouble releasing a monthly, 20-24 page comic, are releasing a new graphic novel every month. I’d imagine not, but I’d also imagine DC wants Johns and Frank to release a second Batman book following up on the first. So when’s it coming out? How often?

- Page count? Similarly, at this point in the history of the phrase “graphic novel,” people sometimes use a 12 page mini-comic to mean “graphic novel.” So how long are these? Are they the slightly bigger than normal, double sized Batman Year 100 format? Or are they literally six issues long, collected into a trade? Or are they, as I suspect, Manga sized (meaning about 100-150 pages)?

- Printing Quality? This might seem like a small point, but tied into page count… Are these full color, glossy, trade quality books? Or again, as I’d like to suspect, are they more newsprinty, manga sized books? The reason I suspect this is because none of this was mentioned. Not to be all conspiracy minded, but mentioning the creative team and showing off some full color concept art is sweet, and will get curiosity and interest from comic book fans. However, you mention manga, and those same hardcore comic book fans will flip the f- out (for no good reason, but that’s an argument for another time).

However, what you do get are cheaply printed, easy to read books in a non-manga style, that still fit neater and nicer on book-store shelevs, with a bigger spine for reading the title.

- Price Point? This is going to be key for a lot of readers, including new readers, and is very much dependent on the previous two points. I can’t imagine a full color, glossy, original trade going for less than $15-$20, which will be a dealbreaker for a lot of readers. However, go with the manga style book (not art wise or writing wise, I’m just talking printing quality and shape), and you can easily price below $10, which is a much easier casual pick-up for… Well, everyone.

It all comes down to why DC is making these, and who they’re going to be selling them to. I hope… I really hope they’re doing this to reach out to a wider audience than just comic book fans. I hope its cheap, large, and comes out quarterly. And I hope they just steal the manga playbook and roll with it. And own it. Because DC, you may piss off the 50,000 people who read comic books, but you’re going to be reaching out to the same audience that bought over two and a half million copies of the latest volume of One Piece. And two and a half million? That’s more than 50,000.

This could change the comic book industry, forever, and for the better. But you can’t do it halfway, DC. Nut up, or… Well, you know the rest.

All pictures Via.

Second only to those of Batman, Nightwing’s fighting skills and detective abilities are a definite advantage for a hero who also has gas pellets, smoke capsules, and an acetylene torch.

If you’ve been reading Fables, you know what’s up, but for those of you who are uninitiated, the title is tremendous. Bill Willingham brings us a new take on our favorite bedtime fable characters, and in this volume, he threatens to undo existence with the introduction of The Literals. It’s a great jumping-on point for new readers and I really can’t sing enough praises for Willingham’s writing. The art is pretty stellar to boot! ;0)

This volume collects all nine issues of the Great Fables Crossover story arc: Fables #83-85, Jack of Fables #33-35 and the three-issue Literals miniseries. It’s worth it, even at the cover price, but as with all pre-orders at TFAW.com, you’ll save 20% off the cover price–just $14.39.

Did you read all nine of the Great Fables Crossover floppies? Did you dig it as much as I did? Let us know below!

11/4/2009 — BLACK*
11/4/2009 — YELLOW — DOOM PATROL #4
11/11/2009 — ORANGE — BOOSTER GOLD #26
11/11/2009 — INDIGO — R.E.B.E.L.S #10
11/18/2009 — BLUE — ADVENTURE COMICS #4
11/18/2009 — VIOLET — OUTSIDERS #24
11/25/2009 — GREEN — BLACKEST NIGHT #5
11/25/2009 — RED — JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39

*The re-offered Black Ring will be sold separately, as may other rings depending on your local retailer.

At Midtown Comics, additional rings will be available for purchase at $1.99 each and sets of 8 rings will go for $12.99 starting November 25th.

So I’m reading this and I’m traditionally a Marvel guy. I’m that fan that started when I was a kid, knew Claremont’s X-men like my own family, and regarded it as my responsibility to have a general geek knowledge of all comics, regardless the publisher. I knew the rough goings on of DC, but Marvel was my ‘place’, and remained so until about a decade ago.

Through reading the relationships and the legacies of the characters showcased in Blackest Night #3, I had to admit: DC EARNED this level of richness and texture.

This isn’t a review of the book, but an observation about the payoff that Johns (and, frankly, most of the DCU writers) achieves month after month. Characters have families in these books. There are ‘bat’ families and ‘speedster’ families, and “superman families’, and “lantern families”. Each character within the family brings their own dimension to the mythology and offers completely different additions to the respective teams to which they contribute (see J. Caleb Mozzocco’s fantastic breakdown of the new JLA), or to the legacies they’ve inherited.

More, characters grow and stories really seem to matter. Histories are recalled, and character changes are acknowledged. Characters grow into their paths, teams have purposes (and actual roles in the DCU), and if they don’t fit, they evolve to their proper places.

Without seeming too geeky, it’s fucking awesome in BN#3 seeing not only Firestorm meet Firestorm, but the differences between the two. Barry Allen has a fantastic conversation with Hal about calling him out on his bullshit, and there’s something geeky-fucking-cool about the fact that Tim, Dick, AND Daimen are running around as the OFFICIAL Bat Authorities over in BL: BATMAN #2, and all are equally important, all three are need each other.

DC has become this fantastic place with legacy and characterizations and superheroes, and continuity, and movement that is such a fun place to be with Morrison , Johns, and Tomasi leading the charge.

Then, I go over to Marvel – my home – and barely recognize the place. I’m all looking around and wondering, “are we STILL in Dark Reign?” “Who the heck ARE these people? “, and “What’s going on???” It feels like the Civil War/Skrull/Reign storyline has been going on for YEARS. Ultimate universe got destroyed, the mainstream heroes are still on the run, Spidey’s a swinging bachelor, Cap’s dead but we’re reading more old WW2 stories about him….

I simply can’t believe that these are Marvel comics anymore. It’s like a team of people who never really ‘got’ Marvel, have the keys to the kingdom and it’s crazy. There are some GREAT guys that work there and this isn’t an attack on the creative teams as much as the choice in the direction and tone of the company. It’s a bad day when Marvel treats the universe like an etch-a-sketch: Shake, erase, redo.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, guys. Just wanted to give props to Geoff Johns and DC as a whole. They clearly love what they’re doing and it comes through page after page.

If you want to know how and why he “died,” check out Batman: R.I.P. and Final Crisis, two big events that wrapped up earlier this year, both written by Grant Morrison. You can also look at what has been going on in Gotham City and under the bat mask in the ongoing Batman and Robin (also written by Morrison, and with Frank Quitely on art–one of my favorite creative pairings). But to make it simple for you–the original Robin and former Nightwing, Dick Grayson, is now Batman; the last Robin under Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, has moved on to his own solo vigilante persona, Red Robin; and Bruce Wayne’s long-lost out-of-the-blue secret bastard son by the daughter of one of his arch foes is the new Robin.

Caught this on Twitter today. Wow. Just wow. Brilliant? Insane? Both?

Zan and Jayna–the Wonder Twins from the not-at-all-canon DC Super Friends cartoons–are going to appear in the upcoming ninth season of Smallville!

Can you believe it?

I mean that Smallville has survived for nine seasons.

I hate Smallville. I watch it a lot more than someone who dislikes a show should, but that is because geeks are masochistic when it comes to their completist instincts and incessant need to be in the nerd loop. And despite hating the show overall, I’ve liked a few things here and there, like last season, when Geoff Johns wrote a fun episode featuring the Legion of Superheroes, and the seasons before that where Green Arrow and the Justice League added a much needed superhero element to the superhero-centric drama. But my interest never sticks and I’ve rarely like more than an episode or two in a row.

I never thought the Dawson’s Creek-meets-comics premise would work, but approaching a decade on the air, I guess I was wrong. I’ve always felt the show lacked any of the quirk or style that made other teen-geared genre shows like Buffy and Angel worth watching, and was too removed from any recognizable comic continuity. When I finally started watching at all (around season 3) I figured most people were only watchingor three seasons simply in anticipation of some sign of the Superman they knew and loved.

Instead they got Lana Lang getting kidnapped, crashing her car, and narrowly escaping death week after week for years. Even after the show realized Clark was getting too old for high school and needed to shift the setting to Metropolis, Lana was still flipping her SUVs and causing headaches. Even when the producers remembered that Clark loves Lois, not Lana, and needed to bring Ms. Lane into the story, she was marginalized so Lana could play damsel in distress and convolute the overall plot.

It was interesting how they brought in Supergirl and Brainiac. Not so much, however, when they brought in Martain Manhunter, Bizarro, and Doomsday. It has always felt lazy and low budget to me. The stories are generally limp, the bloated cast steps all over each other in every episode to make sure everyone gets some screen time, and the star of the show–Tom Welling as Clark Kent–is kind of a tool. He lacks the conviction of a SuperMAN and never even captured any of the charm or enthusiasm of a solid SuperBOY. The show is superbly mediocre–a curiosity for my inner geek, at best.

I kind of love the Wonder Twins, though. I’ll have to reset the DVR.

Speaking of the twins, I was really hoping someone who went to San Diego Comic Con would have picked me up the cool con exclusive toy set featuring them and their pet space monkey, Gleek. There’s still time until Christmas, you know…

I was thinking of including one of the old SF episodes here, but I think the Adult Swim treatment captures the…er..wonder of the twins just as well, if not better: