IGN has the first look at DC’s upcoming plans for the Green Lantern franchise, Secret Six and the Batman titles.
by Richard George
March 20, 2009 – It’s almost the end of the month and that means it’s solicit time. Last Friday the IGN crew brought you a look at DC’s major plans for the Batman franchise, showing off covers and art via a video interview we did with Mike Marts and Dan DiDio.

Today we’re back with those covers and the official solicit text… but we wanted to sweeten the deal a little bit. We’re tossing in Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Secret Six. Because the covers are awesome, we love the books and because you have a pretty good idea of what’s coming for Batman.

DC Comics has provided Newsarama with a two page peek inside May’s Blackest Night #0, which the publisher is releasing for Free Comic Book Day on May 2nd. The issue is written by Geoff Johns, with art on the main story by Ivan Reis, and serves as a lead-in to DC’s Blackest Night miniseries, which begins in July.

The solicitation for the 32-page comic reads:

Across the universe the dead will rise! Prepare for the coming of “The Blackest Night” with this prelude to the biggest comic event of the year! This special edition recaps the key moments from “Sinestro Corps War” and “Rage of the Red Lanterns” that led to “Blackest Night,” and will give readers everything they need to know about the Green Lantern universe, their ongoing War of Light, and their dark days ahead. There are also two more pagers up Comic Book News.

C Comics has confirmed for Newsarama that beginning in July, the monthly Green Lantern series will get a new regular penciler just as Blackest Night begins.

“The absolutely brilliant Doug Mahnke is taking over the book,” said Geoff Johns, the title’s writer. “Blackest Night will be its own mini-series in July, and so beginning in July, Doug Mahnke will be the regular penciler on Green Lantern. Doug is an amazing penciler. The stuff he’s already done for Blackest Night #0 is just phenomenal.”

Ivan Reis, who’s been the Green Lantern penciler since 2006, is now the artist on the Blackest Night mini-series, working months ahead with Johns for the July launch. And as Reis told Newsarama at New York Comic Con, the last issue of Blackest Night will mark the end of his run with the Green Lantern characters, although he said his next project (still unannounced) will reunite him with Johns.

“It is so much fun to work with Geoff. And if I can work with him for 10 years, I’ll do it,” Reis said.

DC has provided Newsarama with artwork by Mahnke of a double-page spread that will appear in Blackest Night #0, the Free Comic Book Day issue that kicks off the publisher’s summer event on May 2. While specific details of the Blackest Night event have not been released, creators involved have indicated that the story will run through the Blackest Night mini-series along with the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles, with some special tie-in issues along the way, all beginning in July.

As for what Johns is doing after the end of Blackest Night, the writer said he’s not going anywhere.

“I’m staying. I’ll be working with Doug on the [Green Lantern] issues going forward after Blackest Night,” he said.

“I’ve said it before, that to work with such a group of talented artists on this, like Ivan and Ethan [Van Sciver] and now Shane [Davis], and Philip [Tan] and Doug. Green Lantern’s probably been one of the most fortunate books in recent history that’s been blessed by so many great, talented artists,” Johns said. “I’ve been really happy to work with them all. And to have each of them take ownership of a Corps. They’ve each added their own spin on it and added their own characters. Creating all these Corps and all this excitement with them – it’s pretty phenomenal stuff. “

That’s what Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns told Newsarama the last time we talked to him about the title, and sure enough, the battles have begun. Emotion-charged aliens donning rings of red, blue, yellow and violet are all getting involved in the melee as the story builds toward this summer’s DC event, Blackest Night.

And with next month’s Green Lantern #39, Johns begins the much-anticipated introduction to the Orange Lanterns and their leader, “Agent Orange,” a vile, greed-twisted creature named Larfleeze (whom Johns has already called one of his favorite characters). Featuring art by Philip Tan, the storyline is the final one before the Blackest Night event begins in July.

For today’s “green theme” in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we talked to Johns about the Agent Orange storyline, the many corps flying around the title now, and what the status is on Blackest Night.

Starting with next month’s Green Lantern #39, readers will get a look at the greed-focused Orange Lanterns and their leader, the “Agent Orange” character named Larfleeze, through the artwork of Philip Tan .

The artist, who impressed DC fans with his work on Final Crisis: Revelations, has been sharing his designs for the Orange Lanterns here on Newsarama over the last few months. Now, as we celebrate the green of St. Patrick’s Day, we talk to Tan again about his upcoming work on Green Lantern with writer Geoff Johns.

Exploring the idea that emotions hold energy that can be harnessed with power rings — with the Green Lanterns controlling the central green-colored energy of willpower — the Green Lantern title has been revealing the various colors of the emotional spectrum and their ring-wearing corps. It’s all leading toward Blackest Night, an epic summer event by Johns and artist Ivan Reis that promises to see deceased DC characters rise from the earth wearing black rings as the universe is embroiled in a War of Light between all the ring-wearing factions.

The previously unseen Orange Lanterns utilize the power of avarice, and as Tan has pointed out before, their focus on greed has made them “grotesque.” They “look like predators,” he said, and are “very hunting based,” although he didn’t want to explain too much about their looks, as it ties into the story of the Orange Lanterns.

The storyline will also focus on Agent Orange, the group’s leader, who has been revealed to have a relationship to the Guardians of Oa. Described in solicitations as “the most disgusting, filthiest, vilest being in the universe,” Agent Orange has been hidden away in the Vega System until now.

As Tan opens his sketchbook to reveal a few more of his many designs for these Orange Lanterns, we talked to the artist about these creatures of greed who wield the power of orange as the title heads toward Blackest Night.

The fabric of intergalactic justice is threatened – until Hal Jordan arrives for his initial mission – in the animated Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth entry in the popular DVD series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies. A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film is set for release by Warner Home Video on July 28, 2009. Green Lantern: First Flight will be available as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $29.98 (SRP) and $34.99 (SRP), respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98 (SRP). Order due date for all versions is June 23, 2009.

The ‘Wonder Woman’ DVD landed on our doorstep this weekend. We watched the movie and it’s a great flick, but that’s not what we’re here to write about today.

Included as an extra on the DVD is the exclusive first look at DC Universe’s upcoming ‘Green Lantern’ animated movie!

We were surprised to see this, since we hadn’t even heard about the film before. Color us even more surprised when it’s revealed that the film is due out later this year.

The first six minutes of the ten minute feature focuses on bringing the uninitiated up to speed with who and what the Green Lantern is, in terms of the history of the comics as well as the character.

But then producer Bruce Timm, director Lauren Montgomery and voice director Andrea Romano begin to take us behind the scenes of the movie, introducing the cast along with artwork from the production.

So who’s voicing Hal Jordan in the movie?

None other than Christopher Meloni of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ fame.

The story follows Hal’s acquisition of the ring and his journey into the Corps where he meets his mentor Sinestro, played by Victor Garber of ‘Alias’.

The film looks to be heavy science rather featuring space faring adventure rather than Earthbound action. In fact it looks as if dozens of GL Corps members will appear, with Kilowog, Boodikka and Ch’p figuring prominently.

Michael Madsen (‘Kill Bill’) voices Kilowog while Tricia Helfer (‘Battlestar Galactic’) plays Boodikka.

No actual animation from the film is revealed, but the preview does show lots of design drawings, story boards and animatics, some of which we present below.

The “first look” closes with the declaration that ‘Green Lantern’ will be on DVD and Blu-Ray Summer 2009!