Superman to go AWOL from ‘Action’
DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio told Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times that he’s really excited by the titles coming out these next few weeks that wrap up long-running events including Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P.
“We did Countdown to Final Crisis and Final Crisis itself so this has been a long story for us. I feel we’ve accomplished a lot of goals and we created a lot of excitement. But more importantly it’s a point of change for us in DC Universe again. And once you know the ending is coming, it’s in sight, that’s when you start getting worked up about what’s coming up next. That’s what I really get jazzed about. We have two really big events that spin out of Final Crisis each in its own way and affecting our key franchises, Superman and Batman. The first thing we’re going to see is called Battle for the Cowl, that’s going to be a book that features nearly every member of the Batman family
“We have a writer-artist team on this right now that’s scouring every book possible to see what they can include in these two-page spreads they want to build of all the characters that inhabit the Batman universe. So it’s a lot of fun for us. I always like those things because it’s a big noisy adventure book. And whenever you do one of those, the level of excitement is always right there on the page. You hopefully have people respond properly to that.”
DiDio revealed that one status quo-changing element will be Superman vacating Action Comics in the near future. The only time he was absent from the book was during the months he was dead and others vied for the right to inherit the name.
“So this is a lot of fun for us,” he said with a laugh. “I think that’s going to get people excited and scratching their heads and wondering what’s going on. In his own book, Superman, there will be a dramatic turn as the hero leaves Earth and it seems like he’s leaving for good. We’ll follow his adventures in space more so than his adventures on Earth, and that’s a big and exciting thing. We’re also bringing back one of the old-time favorite titles of DC Comics, Adventure Comics. It will be back with a new No. 1 and with new stars but old stars at the same time. It’ll be pretty easy to guess who will be the stars of Adventure Comics if you know who the title was most identified with…”
The title was the home to the Legion of Super-Heroes from issues 300 through 380 and with their title cancelled, they are the most likely feature. DiDio stressed the Legion will remain vital to the DC Universe once their current miniseries Legion of Three Worlds conlcudes in early 2009.
Adult-only website 
Tor Books has announced the release of Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card. After twenty-three years, this is the first true, direct sequel to the award-winning Ender’s Game.
Marvel sent along the variant cxovers to two of the mutan ttitles tying in with the Bring On The Bad Guys company-wide event. The covers are to Uncanny X-Men #505 by series artist Greg Land, and Young X-Men #9, by Adi Granov.
The Wall Street Journal notes that comic strip characters are increasingly being hired in India as spokesmen for products such as Dilbert shilling for cell phone manufacturer Nokia.
Max Allan Collins will be writing a third Quarry novel for Hard Case Crime. On the heels of the recent The First Quarry, Collins will be authoring Quarry in the Middle which the celebrated publisher will release in time for Christmas 2009.
Top Cow sent along the cover to Jingle Belle: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein illustrated by Wizard Fan Award-winning artist Greg Horn (Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk). This one-shot issue kicks off the move of superstar creator Paul Dini’s line of characters in the Dinicartoons universe to Top Cow.
IDW Publishing is holding its first ever sale of comic books and graphic novels at its San Diego headquarters on Saturday, December 6, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. This is a fantastic opportunity for comic book collectors to scoop up some real bargains and hunt down some rare titles they may have missed, including some limited editions and signed copies – all at bargain prices. There will be surprises and giveaways with every purchase.
One of the most important and successful garage bands of all time, the Archies return for the Christmas season with The Archies Christmas Album featuring Betty & Veronica! The Riverdale High quintet scored several top 40 hits, with "Sugar, Sugar" becoming the No. 1 song of the year. The Archies have been named one of the top ten Coolest Cartoon Rockers by AOL Music. Just in time for the Holiday season, band members Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge & Jughead Jones are pleased to release their new album. The Archies Christmas Party combines the best of their trademark sound with the radio sensibilities of today.
The Guest Strip Project
