geekosystem

I'm all about there being more things that there aren't enough of. Superheroes dominate the world of comics, and that's fine, but I always felt there weren't enough comics in other sci-fi/fantasy subgenres. It's getting much better, though, and I'm personally stoked to see He-Man -- you know, blond Conan in space sans the womanizing -- return to the world of comics in April. Masters of the Universe (MotU) is the perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy: Swords, spaceships, magic, pseudo-science, laser guns, and crazy doomsday devices. DC Comics picked up the reins and announced the new series in January, but now they're showing off some artwork from the first issue. Folks, Hordak's back, and he's getting scarier.

Just because DC Comics' New 52 initiative rebooted an entire comic book universe and started fresh with a whole bunch of #1 issues certainly doesn't mean the publisher won't acknowledge one of its flagship titles reaching a 76-year milestone. This coming April, Detective Comics will be celebrating an astounding 900 issues chronicling the heroics of everyone's favorite -- no, really, how can anyone possibly hate on the guy? -- brooding super sleuth: Batman! The caped crusader has been solving mysteries and busting the underworld's teeth since his debut in Detective Comics #27, and DC Comics promises to do Batman justice with the second volume of the legendary series' 19th issue.

Well, boys and girls, it looks like the time has finally come: Today's the day mankind bids farewell to its existence and says a hearty hello to the feathered serpent god, Kukulkan, as he finally returns to our earthly plane. Even as we stare into the face of our imminent destruction, be thankful that we don't live in the fictitious realms of comic books. Why? Because if we did, every single day would feel like the apocalypse, what with so many intergalactic warlords, omnipotent entities, and cataclysms from the depths of space and beyond laying waste to Earth. If beings like that were tearing things up right here, right now, 12/21/12 truly would be a day to remember. On that note, here's seven comic book characters you wouldn't want to see on December 21st -- though your efforts to hide would prove futile!

The last time anybody got truly excited for a film featuring DC Comics' omnipotent powerhouse being released was back in 1979 for Superman: The Movie. Otherwise, the red "S" has since become synonymous with the image of a dead Comet the Super-Horse being beaten to a pulp by Warner Brothers film executives. This disdain for all things Superman extended somewhat to even the release of the first teaser trailer for director Zack Snyder's re-imagining of the hero, since it didn't give us much to work with. If the latest trailer for Man of Steel is anything to go by, it looks like our popcorn buckets might remain in our laps and not be hurled at the screen this coming summer.

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy complete may have only just reached its epic conclusion a few months ago, but you can bet that DC Comics and Warner Bros. are already hard at work figuring out an excuse to squeeze out another film and capitalize on the series' success. The guys and gals over at Movieclips Trailers have a suggestion: Turn Batman's origin story into a high school dramedy.

DC Comics isn't nearly as organized about making movies as Marvel. They claim that they're going to make a Justice League movie by 2015, but as far as we know Disney has made more progress on the new Star Wars. While DC's uncertain future may be unfortunate for certain projects, it leaves the door open for other, less conventional projects. Guillermo Del Toro, creator of fantastically weird, dark films, may be looking to take advantage of the situation: According to io9, the Hellboy director has been talking to DC about making a movie based on Justice League Dark, the company's supergroup comprised of darker heroes from imprint Vertigo.

Everybody loves Neil DeGrasse Tyson. So it's no surprise that when DC Comics decided that Superman would try to find Krypton in the night sky in an upcoming issue of ACTION COMICS, they thought Mr. Tyson should be the person to help the Man of Steel. (In such a vulnerable moment, it's important to have support from a friend, right?) What DC wasn't banking on, I'd wager, was how involved Mr. Tyson would become once he agreed to let them use his likeness: Tyson worked with the writers to find a real star that could serve as a plausible location for Krypton's sun based on the relatively fuzzy criteria about the planet's location.

Comic books and variant covers go together like sandwiches and bread. Sure, comics could exist without them, but it just wouldn't be the same. DC Comics knows this all too well, apparently. As part of the February launch of their Justice League of America title, the first issue will include 52 distinct variant covers. When they say "America," they totally mean all of it. Each state will get their own variant, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Seriously.

DC Comics, and by extension Warner Bros. Entertainment, cut a deal in 1992 that basically meant they assumed 50% ownership of everything Superman in perpetuity. This has since been hotly contested by Joe Shuster's heirs, even though it was his sister and heir Jean Peavy that made the agreement in the first place. After a lengthy legal battle, the court has now ruled that the 1992 agreement stands, and Warner Bros. totally owns 50% of Superman.

In case you've been intentionally ignoring the CW Television Network, you may or may not know that they're broadcasting a version of DC Comics' Green Arrow titled -- somewhat lazily -- Arrow. The plot follows Oliver Queen after he's been rescued from the island he's been stuck on for the past five years. The premiere was last night, so it's too late to hope to catch the first episode on television. This is the Internet, though, and CW apparently gets that. They've provided the pilot episode for viewing free of charge on their website.

It's pretty much become a tradition for Marvel and DC Comics to kill off a major character every few years when they've decided they would like some publicity. Sometimes, they even kill off characters that died previously for similar reasons. There are a few instances where the death remains justified and seems to stick for long periods of time, Gwen Stacy comes to mind, but usually it just feels like another ploy to get folks to cough up some money. Marvel's apparently doing it again, though, and says it's going to stick.

DC Comics hasn't exactly been filling Catwoman fans with hope during its latest series. The first issue of the New 52 Catwoman run has become synonymous with everything people find despicable about the depiction of females in comics. It is within this fiasco that the cover for Catwoman #0 was born. After much Internet criticism, the cover has since been changed to a slightly less cringe-inducing version.

For years, they've been dancing around it. Hiding their feelings. Calling it impractical. In 2012, Superman and Wonder Woman have stopped pretending, and are now the most super superhero couple in the DC universe. Starting in next week's issue of Justice League, Superman and Wonder Woman will hook up and start dating.

The world of comics is something of an oddity. Due to the publishing patterns of the various ongoing series, comics are often finished way ahead of their release. For example, the new design for Batman's archenemy, Joker, wasn't intended to be viewed in full until Batman #13 releases on October 10th. Unfortunately, DC Comics has released a new batch of covers which just so happens to include a complete image of the clown on a Batgirl cover a bit prematurely. Beyond this point, there be spoilers.

When you're dealing with a hallowed franchise like Watchmen, you have to watch your step around the rabid fanbase. Or maybe, you don't have to watch it at all, because no matter what you do, you're going to piss some of them off. In either case, DC Entertainment has just officially confirmed a set of Before Watchmen prequel comic books; guess who's pissed?