Well, this is a thing. Vaguely motion-ish, in a 1993 sort of way. Seriously, back in the day when I saw animation of this caliber on AOL I would just fangasm my heart out and enter keyword: DC. 

Now that it's 2011, I'm whelmed by the motion comic trailer for Teen Titans #1, written by Scott Lobdell with art from Brett Booth. Am I crazy, or is Kid Flash doing exactly what I think he's doing at :21?

(Click images to enlarge)

Batman's back, and fighting with his evil son Damian! Sorry, I mean fighting evil, WITH his son Damain! Damian is a little badass, and DC knew better than to relaunch an entire universe and not include him. He would climb right out of the comic pages and just go to town on them with a lead pipe in a way that only a ten-year-old with Al Ghul and Wayne genes could. Seriously, this kid scares me more than Darkseid and I love him for it.

Check out this preview of Batman and Robin #1, written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray, in stores September 14.

Battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side, Batman now realizes that the hardest part of the job may be trying to work together!

As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne's past: His name is NoBody, and he's not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil.

Superboy is reborn again, as DC's 'New 52' relaunch event continues next week. Here's a first look at Superboy #1, written by Scott Lobdell with art by RB Silva and Rob Lean. It seems as if they take the clone concept seen in the Conner Kent of the DC Universe as we knew it, and make him... clonier. More along the lines of the Superboy seen in the Young Justice animated series.

Check it out, and let me know what you think!

Mister Terrific is in an interesting place in the DC Universe. He's a character who I felt was largely ignored as anything other than a standby smart-hero for much of Geoff Johns' mixed, but mostly quite good, run on JSA. And his ending with that title - I want to be careful not to give away spoilers here - but it came off to this reader as though writer Marc Guggenheim was caught unawares about JSA's pending cancellation, and had to wrap up what was going to be a much longer story over the course of two issues. The result was a combination of an incredible indignity to the character and a deus ex machina copout that cheated the reader.

Like I said, an interesting place. I feel as though he only really got to shine in Infinite Crisis, and the highly underrated and sadly underselling Checkmate. So it was a nice surprise to see him get a solo title as part of DC's 'New 52' relaunch, especially since at the time DC had said that they were effectively removing the JSA from continuity (a statement they've kinda-sorta retracted).

I have high hopes for the character under Eric Wallace, who showed a flair for finding the gold in underused characters during his run on Titans. Check out this four-page preview of Mr. Terrific #1, in stores next week. Then hit me up in the comments and let me know if you're going to be picking it up!

The world's third-smartest man - and one of its most eligible bachelors - uses his brains and fists against science gone mad in this new series from Eric Wallace (TITANS) and Roger Robinson!

Michael Holt is the head of a successful high-tech corporation and an institute that recruits and encourages the finest minds of the next generation to excel. As Mister Terrific he inhabits a world of amazement few others know exists, let alone can comprehend. 

Mr. Terrific #1 page 1 - click to enlarge.

Mr. Terrific #1 page 12 - click to enlarge.

Mr. Terrific #1 page 13 - click to enlarge.

Mr. Terrific #1 page 14 - click to enlarge.

It's week two of DC's New 52, and the new #1s are coming fast and furious. So having had a day to digest yesterday's buy pile, ranging from Batgirl to Animal Man to OMAC and - holy crap! -  Action Comics #1, what are your impressions? What's your favorite book to date?

Let me know your fave by voting in the poll below, and then hit me up in the comments with any thoughts on the New 52 in general, which upcoming titles you're looking forward to, the state of the industry - whatever. The comments are for you to sound off, so let's get a conversation going!

But first, the poll.

Justin Gray posted this teaser trailer for the upcoming All-Star Western #1, written by Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with art by Moritat.

Here's DC's solicit for the book, in stores on September 28:

Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant - and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex's special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer?

Apparently, the powers that be at DC want to keep the Dark Knight dark, as they've made some alterations to tone down the cover art to the upcoming Batman #1.

Here's Greg Capullo's original version, as revealed on June 5:

And here's the revised version, that we'll actually see when the book launches: darker colors, slightly different angles.

What's your opinion? Do you prefer the new cover or should they have stuck with the original? How psyched are you for Batman #1?

One of the more surprising titles announced as part of DC's 'New 52' is a revival of OMAC, one of Jack Kirby's freakier creations from his Fourth World renaissance period. OMAC has resurfaced a few times since then, notably in a dystopian miniseries by John Byrne, revamped as anti-metahuman cyborg soldiers as part of Infinite Crisis, and interestingly, the version most faithful to the Kirby original guest-starred on Batman: the Brave and the Bold.

The new OMAC by Dan DiDio, Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish, clearly aims to pay homage to Kirby in a big way, and there's some of that trademark Giffen humor on display as well in these preview pages via io9. As for DiDio, his record is decidedly mixed - his Metal Men feature in Wednesday Comics was, I thought, rather fun, while his run on the last iteration of the already-ailing Outsiders title was universally reviled. So OMAC is a title that I'm going to watch with a lot of interest.

Check it out, and let me know what you think. OMAC #1 is in stores this Wednesday, September 7.

Buh-bye.

So, The Flash, who in a rather convoluted way is responsible for this new DC Universe, is now a swinging single. Not only is he no longer married to Iris West - they've NEVER dated. Not that he's all alone; like Lois Lane, Barry Allen is pooping where he eats, dating co-worker Patty Spivot.

"I swear, this has NEVER happened to me before."

It's one of those "new fans won't care, old fans will like what we tell them to like" things that seem to be a driving force behind the New 52. I'm not particularly attached to Iris West, but it's impossible to ignore how many of DC's women are simply vanishing as part of the relaunch. Will they return, better then before? Time will tell. According to DC's blog The Source:

The life and times of Barry Allen are as familiar today as they were yesterday, but his love life is one of the things that have been freshened up for 2011. New fans will fall in love with the fastest man alive for the first time, and I guarantee that longtime Flash fans will not only still recognize the world of Barry Allen, they will be hooked like they were the first time.

What are your thoughts, folks? Is this a positive move? Are we psyched for the Barry/Patty relationship, or, as the tabloids will doubtless come to call them, "Batty?" Is this a step forward, backward, or do we just not have an opinion about Barry's love life at this juncture?