With the fate of the next season of Smallville still up in the air, Warner Bros. is getting ready for a replacement, or a “sidekick” of a show in the just approved pilot “Graysons”.  But don’t think this new series will follow the adventures of Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne as Batman and Robin, expect the Graysons to follow a very Smallville like premise that features the young Dick “DJ” Grayson before his parents met their untimely demise, before being taken under the wing of Batman, and a long, long time before becoming Nightwing.

In the one-hour “Graysons,” which will be set in modern times, young DJ will face challenges involving first loves, young rivals and his family as he grows up. Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson have come up with an original take on the character.

I have some mixed feelings about this.  Yes, it is cool that Warners is looking for a way to exploit one of its more popular characters.  But to adopt the “never wears a cape and tights” attitude as it has with Smallville, just doesn’t sit well with me.

Look for the pilot to makes its bow next year.

via Variety

The first installment of Batman R.I.P. hit stores last week and promptly sold out at the distributor level, prompting DC to go back to press for a second printing that includes a variant cover.

Batman #676 (second printing) is scheduled to be in stores on June 11, with the cover you see below.

And because we know you will want to collect every issue in the series, Major Spoilers has provided you with a handy checklist with release date.

A real joy in my life at the moment is each month getting a new Nightwing comic. For too long Dick Grayson has been underused, abused and misused within the DCU. But finally, Peter J. Tomasi is bringing back one of the original DC heroes to a place where he shines.

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As mentioned in the last Wizard World Chicago summary, Ra’s al Ghul will be returning to the DC Universe. Yet another one of those incidents where a character that was killed in 2004 makes his return.

But unlike Jason Todd, Donna Troy, and the rest of the lot, Ra’s actually has a practical method of resurrecting each time he dies - the Lazuras Pit. After Death and the Maidens, it looked like he wouldn’t be returning at all. So what’s the dealio?

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Or - “Is That Really Going To Be His Hero Designation?”

Ever since Owen Mercer joined the Outsiders during the One-Year-Later gap, I’ve been jokingly referring to him as Captain Boomerang, Junior. The reasons for this are twofold: first, there’s a proud tradition of calling a younger version of a hero by the Junior name (Captain Marvel, Jr. is the obvious one, but back in the day there was also Captain Battle, Jr. as well as Batman Junior and Superman Junior, the Super-Sons) and secondly, it’s a terrible, horrible, awful, really bad super-hero name. Worse than Bobo… Worse than Hard Drive… Worse even than Cable (which, whether you love him or hate him, you have to agree is a useless codename.) And now, DC has not only made that his name, they actually paid some poor shmendrik to create a LOGO that says “Captain Boomerang, Jr.” I am literally stunned… but, other than that, how was the issue in question?

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Even with the San Diego Comic Con going on, DC has made available a sneak peek of Outsiders: Five of a Kind: Week 1: Nightwing/Boomerang for those of you us who aren’t able to attend.

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Death of a New God

Last week readers got a few clues into the mystery of Jimmy Olsen, Mary Batson stumbled upon a repowered Black Adam, Stinky made the other Monitors angry, and Karate Kid continued to hang out in a JLA cell. So what becomes of our key characters this week?

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Or - “What Actually Happened When The Question Was Popped…”

DC Comics is evil. There’s no other explanation for it… Before Infinite Crisis, Dick Grayson the former Boy Wonder proposed marriage to Barbara Gordon, the former Dominoed Daredoll, and she said “Yes.” Then, the One Year Later gap arrived, and afterwards, Dick was in New York butting heads with Jason Todd, and Babs was running the Birds of Prey, and never the twain shall meet. Then, they really twisted the knife by giving Dick a quickie affair with some bimbo named “Cheyenne,” because apparently “Fabergé” and “Fémalé Pajama” (pronounced “fehMAHlay PAjahmah”) were taken by the new girls at Penguin’s strip club. Now, finally, the story can be told… what happened to the Bat-Weddin’?

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DC has released to sneak peeks for titles shipping this week. First up is Nightwing Annual #2, which promises to fill in some of the missing holes prior to Infinite Crisis. Following that it is another team up in Superman/Batman #34 as the world’s finest take on the Metal Men. Both issues hit stores April 18.

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This week DC has provided us with a look at titles shipping over the next couple of months. For fans of Nightwing, Annual #1 attempts to answer the question of what happened during the missing year and the Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson romance. Also sneaking its way in this week is Hellblazer #230 and Young Magician Vol. 7 from CMX.

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Or - “They Talk Of Days For Which They Sit And Wait And All Will Be Revealed…”

“When there’s trouble, you know who to call… OUTSIDERS! From their floating ship, they see it all… OUTSIDERS!

With Judd Winick writing the script! From the headlines adventures are ripped! And if you’re lucky there’ll be girl-on-giiiirl! OUTSIDERS!

With their superpowers they unite… OUTSIDERS! One Year Later, nothing is quite right… OUTSIDERS!

Doc Sivana made them all think! But our heroes just told him he stinks! And Katana’s costume is the woooorrst! OUTSIDERS!

O! U! T-S-I! D-E-R! S! OUTSIDERS, GOOOOO!”

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Or - “Like Good Golf, It’s All In The Follow-Through…”

I admit it. I picked up Nightwing #125 out of tri-fold curiosity: First, to see Wolfman back on the character he pioneered. Second, to see if the rather terrible Bruce Jones run had damaged the character beyond repair. And third, because I figured that reviewing only titles that I already read and loved would lead to some seriously boring reviews. The first arc concludes here, which gives me the exact opposite of a “perfect jumping on point,” as Previews would call it. As The Clash so eloquently put it, should I stay or should I go?

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Or - “They Were Doing SO Well…”

There’s an interesting thing about the way comic books are written… a time paradox that allows a character who was 8 years old in 1941 to turn 20 in 1984, then to spend another 20 years at college age before finally having the standard-issue 22-year-old’s “Who Am I And Why Am I Here?” identity crisis at the chronological age of 73. The only other occupation that has as slow a growth curve as DC superhero is probably “vampire,” and both by coincidence come with roughly the same wardrobe. Nightwing’s back with another issue in the new Wolfman era (Wolfman? Vampire? You’d think it was Halloween rather than the Christmas season…) but it’s hard to maintain a flawless story arc, even for the most talented veteran writers. How well does this issue work?

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Or - “Day 2: Still Tired From The Move…”

Last issue got me thinking, in a good way, about what I like about Dick Grayson, about Nightwing, and about the “dark vigilante” motif. I enjoyed what last issue set up, and I’m intrigued enough to come back again. That’s what the movie business calls “good buzz,” or “word of mouth” or something. (I think my superhero name will be Cliche Man…) In any case, Marv Wolfman’s to writing Nightwing is in full swing, and in part two, the game’s afoot. Can Marv, Dan and Norm keep up the interest of a vaguely interested party (and by extension, those readers who have only picked up Nightwing recently) or will I fill this slot next month with a review of “Betty and Veronica #6,972?”

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Okay, I have to start this one with a confession: I don’t “get” Batman. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed the character in the past. Grant Morrison’s “JLA” Batman was one of the most awe-inspiring characters I’ve ever encountered. I’m a huge fan for what Grant Morrison calls “the hairy-chested Neal Adams love god Batman.” Heck, one of my prized possessions is a tabloid-sized “Batman’s Strangest Cases.” I fully enjoy me some Batman…

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