DC

Quietly in the night, with no fanfare, coming in on little cat feet, DC Comics has launched an application for iPhone and iPad. The app was developed by ComiXology, which also launched the Marvel and Boom comics apps, and the DC version has a similar interface. Initial offerings include free comics: several stories from Batman Black & White, including one by Ted McKeever, Bayou from Zuda, and a preview of today's Superman #700. Paid offerings -- priced at the Marvel standard of $1.99 -- include the first issues of Sandman, Unwritten, Fables and The Losers, issues of Fringe, and a bunch DCU issues, including all four issues of Justice League: Generation Lost -- the first three issues are priced at $1.99, while issues 4 -- arriving in stores today -- is priced at cover price of $2.99.

It's time for pissed off readers to put their money where their mouth is.

As regular readers of this site and other comics sites know, the DCU has been taking a lot of lumps for perceived insensitivity in handling the death of various minority characters, and they haven't had too many opportunities to set the record straight. However, a big interview with co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee conducted by Fearless Kiel Phegley has been quoted widely:

Anything billed as an Absolute All-Star has to be great, but Frank Quitely holds up his end with the cover for ABSOLUTE ALL-STAR SUPERMAN,...

The Vertigo blog annoucned their GN schedule for Jan-Apr 2011 yesterday -- including some books that were announced back in May but didn't get too much attention: RAT CATCHER by Andy Diggle and Victor Ibañez NOCHE ROJA by Writer: Simon Oliver and Jason Latour (above -- nice!)) Also, a new OGN, AARON AND AHMED by Jay Cantor and James Romberger. Nothing else new we spotted, although we're bummed that the third volume of the deluxe collected Preacher won't be out for another year. We had already cleared a place on the shelf for it!

Okay, we've restocked our load of piss and vinegar and we've loaded our shotgun for bear! UNTIL WE TELL IT, WE JUST CAN"T MOVE ON! My first "Complaints" post drew a bit of private praise, especially from those who welcomed a return to more pointed commentary. To which I say, I'd love to do more of it but I was literally up until dawn writing that first one (I'm ssslllooowww) and this one will take just as long. Especially since this time I"m taking on everyone's FAVORITE SUBJECTS: Race and gender. It's a good thing comics never talk about religion or we'd be here all night and day! And if I can predict one thing with dead certainty it's this: Gene PHillips will show up in the comments.

Darwyn Cooke, Ivan Brandon, B. Clay Moore, William Tucci are among the creators involved in bringing back a series of DC war books as one-shots this September, it was announced this morning.

Writer Ian Boothby has been at play in the fields of Gail Simone's forum, and aided and abetted by other posters, it turns out Ryan Choi, the recently deceased Atom, is not dead, he's just resting, or something. (The above example of "His Choi is Alive" art is by a poster, it should be noted.)

Comics, wake up! The call is coming from inside the house!

Today's Beat giveaway is the new graphic novel by comics Legend Joe Kubert, Dong Xoai 1965. In a starred review,  Publishers Weekly wrote: In 1967,...

Last night's season-ending episode of Fringe included a sideways universe, and that universe included an alternate version of DC, that had its own versions...

The news that DC was shutting down its CMX manga line drew a surprisingly caustic reaction across the web, as summed up by Johanna Draper Carlson. Now, we're well aware that there is a very vocal bunch of online fans who love to bash DC no matter what they do -- if someone at DC used a firehose to put out a fire, these fans would complain DC was wasting precious water. However these complaints were from manga commenters and librarians, a usually less volcanic crowd. But they were near-universal in their disappointment that DC had shut down a line that seemed to be hanging in there despite rarely getting any attention or promotion