*UPDATE* We just got the official press release for the movie that details who will be playing who. Yes,  Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy are back! It also shows what extras will be on the DVD/Blu Ray Releases.

THE END IS NEAR!
WORLD’S FINEST WAGE WAR WITH DARKSEID IN
ALL-NEW DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGNAL MOVIE
SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE
AVAILABLE FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010!

Andre Braugher, Summer Glau, Ed Asner join popular voices Kevin Conroy
& Tim Daly;
New DC Showcase GREEN ARROW on Special Edition Blu-ray & 2-Disc
Special Edition DVD

BURBANK, CA, (June 29, 2010) – To save an earthbound Kryptonian, the
Man of Steel and the Dark Knight unite once again – this time to
battle the powerful forces of Darkseid – in Superman/Batman:
Apocalypse, the ninth entry in the popular, ongoing series of DC
Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming September 28, 2010 from
Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The highly
anticipated, full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video
as a Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD as well
as single disc DVD. The film will also be available On Demand and for
Download.

Fan favorites Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Kevin Conroy (China
Beach) return to their seminal roles as Superman and Batman,
respectively. The celebrity-laden guest cast is headed by Andre
Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) as the daunting Darkseid. Sci-Fi
heroine Summer Glau (Serenity/Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor
Chronicles) provides the voice of Supergirl, and seven-time Emmy Award
winner Ed Asner (Up) reprises his Superman: The Animated
Series/Justice League role as Granny Goodness.

Based on the DC Comics series/graphic novel “Superman/Batman:
Supergirl” by Jeph Loeb, Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald,
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse is produced by animation legend Bruce Timm
and directed by Lauren Montgomery (Justice League: Crisis on Two
Earths) from a script by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Tab
Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist).

After a spaceship splashes down in Gotham City Harbor, Batman and
Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as
those of the Man of Steel. The Kryptonian is soon revealed to be Kara,
cousin of Superman, who takes her under his wing to educate her about
the ways of Earth. However, the villainous Darkseid has other plans.
Seeing an opportunity to finally defeat Superman, Darkseid abducts and
gains control of Kara, utilizing the powerful Kryptonian to do his
bidding. It’s up to Batman and Superman to save Kara, but they’ll have
to take the fight to Darkseid within his hostile world – where
unknown, deadly threats lurk around every corner, including a
brainwashed Kryptonian able to match Superman blow-for-blow.

In addition to the feature film, the Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
Special Edition Blu-Ray™ and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD include the
third DC Showcase animated short, Green Arrow.  Screenwriter Greg
Weisman’s story finds Oliver Queen at the Star City International
Airport to pick up his girlfriend, only to be forced into action as
Green Arrow to protect the 10-year-old Princess of Vlatava from his
old nemesis Merlyn the Magnificent and the League of Assassins. The
short features the voices of Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives) and
Malcolm McDowell (Entourage). Bruce Timm is executive producer.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse 2-Disc Special Edition DVD features more
than 1 1/2 hours of exciting extra content, including:
•       Feature film (est. 75 min)
•       DC Showcase: Green Arrow (10 min)
•       Sneak Peak at the Next DC Universe Animated Original Movie (10 min)
•       Featurette: Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton – A
comprehensive look at The Maiden of Might from her introduction in the
classic age of comics to her death in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths”
crossover event to her appearance on Smallville and beyond.
•       2 bonus episodes from animated television series handpicked by Bruce Timm
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Special Edition Blu-Ray™ will include more
than 2 1/2 hours of intriguing bonus features, starting with all of
the content available on the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD and adding:
•       All-New Featurette: The New Gods – This documentary covers
Darkseid’s story, particularly in reference to the adaptation of
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. A primer on the wealth of material and
stories contained in the New Gods series, along with a deeper
understanding of why these characters – and especially Darkseid – are
so memorable and important to the DC pantheon.
•       All-New Featurette Pods
•       Orion – The mightiest warrior on either New Genesis or Apokolips,
Orion follows an almost Shakespearean arc culminating in the slaying
of his father, Darkseid. This mini-featurette shines a light on this
classically tragic character.
Mister Miracle – This mini-featurette focuses on the greatest escape
artist the universe has ever known and how he was traded in a peace
effort to be raised by Darkseid, the enemy of all New Genesis.
•       2 additional bonus TV series episodes handpicked by Bruce Timm
•       Digital copy on disc of the feature film
“Great things happen when powerful entities come together, and the
partnership of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation
is proud to continue this popular film series by once again uniting
the two most popular characters in the DC Universe in a story that
truly tests their strength, trust, loyalty, ingenuity and heroism,”
said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere.

“It is a testament to the larger-than-life nature of Jeph Loeb’s
blockbuster storylines that two of the first nine DC Universe movies
are based on his work,” said Geoff Johns, Chief Creative Officer of DC
Entertainment. “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse lets us see Superman and
Batman in action side-by-side again, but this time along with
Supergirl and one of DC’s greatest villains, Darkseid.”

“Just as Superman and Batman stand atop the DC canon of characters, so
do the respective seminal voices of Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy in the
hearts and minds of fans. Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will no doubt
please comic-centric and mainstream audiences alike – particularly in
the performances of Daly and Conroy opposite dynamic actors like Andre
Braugher and Ed Asner, and fanboy favorite Summer Glau,” said Amit
Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Partner Brands.

We have just found out that the next DC direct to dvd animated movie after “Batman: Under the Red Hood”  will be “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.” This story will be based on the 2nd Jeph Loeb arc on Superman/Batman that introduced the new Supergirl.

Although they are listed on the IMDB page it is not known weather Tim Daly and/or Kevin Conroy will reprise their roles as Superman and Batman. However tvguide.com is reporting that Summer Glau (Firefly,Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles) will be voicing Supergirl.

The movie is scheduled to release on September 28th and will also include a Green Arrow short.

Okay fellow geeks, let me start by saying this is not a casting rumor. In a recent interview with Empire magazine, Robin Williams somehow got on the topic of Batman. Apparently, Williams is a big fan of the character and the franchise and had this to say:

I would do Batman in a second, playing anyone, I’d play The Riddler in the next one, although it would be hard to top Heath as the villain and I’m a little hairy for tights… The Batman films have screwed me twice before: years ago they offered my The Joker and then gave it to Jack Nicholson, then they offered me The Riddler and gave it to Jim Carrey. I’d be like, ‘OK, is this a real offer? If it is, then the answer’s yes. Don’t pump me again motherf**kers.

So, essentially, I’d imagine if Chris Nolan came up to Robin Williams and said, “Hey, do you want to play The Riddler in Batman 3?” Williams would respond with something like a “Fuck yes I would!” – in one of his crazy fast-talking voices of course. As far as anyone is concerned, Robin Williams is not being considered for any role, he would just simply up to taking any part in the next Batman film due to his love of the series.

Personally, in the off chance Robin Williams did end up sporting the villainous question mark, I could see him pulling it off. He’s taken on dark roles before, and despite parts of his film resume, the guy can act. However, I’d imagine the likelihood of this ever occurring is low.

So? What do you think? Could you see Robin Williams as The Riddler in Christopher Nolan’s Bat-Universe?

This episode features: Zombietron, Kill-tacular-tron, Mexicus Prime, Proletaria-tron, and special guest Trisket of Doom (Rich).

In the June edition of Big Shiny Podcast we spend some time reviewing a few collectables. And in Mexicus Prime’s case, which are better to relocate into your rectum. We also spend a lot of time discussing the current state of the video game industry, as well as our views on E3 and which company failed the least.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for listening!
June Big Shiny Podcast

• iTunes – Be sure to subscribe, rate and comment!
• BSR mp3

Warner Brothers released the trailer for the final (sort of) installment of the Harry Potter series and I have to say that it certainly gave me the chills.  I’ll definitely see this one opening weekend.

I’ve had a bit of a checkered past with the Harry Potter series and I finally watched the 6th movie last night and was pretty pleasantly surprised.  It might even be my second favorite after the 3rd installment, The Prisoner of Azkaban, which was directed by Alfonso Cuaron and was easily the best of the bunch.

I love the books, but the first two movies were cringe-inducing, the 4th movie was pretty okay and the the fifth movie was yawn inducing and didn’t really handle anything even close to what should have been an incredibly emotional climax.  The sixth movie came quite a bit closer to that climax than any of the other installments (excepting the brilliant Azkaban picture.)

In any case, you can watch it in glorious quicktime.

MTV is reporting that Jonah Nolan (Christopher’s brother) has been working on a draft of the screenplay for Batman 3, based on a story by himself, his brother and David Goyer.

From their article:

At a press junket promoting Nolan’s latest project, “Inception,” the upcoming psychological thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the filmmaker told MTV News that he’s already thinking about “Batman 3” — well, sort of. “Yes and no I suppose would be the answer,” he said. “We know we’re aiming for 2012 [as a release date]. That’s been talked about. We’re just working on the script, really. My brother [Jonah Nolan] has been hard at work on it for quite some time. It’s based on a story that myself and David Goyer have written.”

So, for all you Bat-Junkies like myself out there, this is good news that it’s moving forward.  And we still have almost two years before it’s supposed to hit the screen, so it doesn’t feel like they’re rushing it too hard.

This also means that credible casting rumours will probably start late this year or early next.

Marvel officially announced the casting of Tommy Lee Jones in the upcoming “Captain America: The First Avenger” earlier today. Does this news pretty much mean nothing to you because you aren’t familiar with Cap’s history? Well, Marvel spells it out nice and brief:

Marvel Studios announced today that Oscar® winning actor Tommy Lee Jones has been cast to star as US Army Colonel Chester Phillips in the studio’s highly anticipated movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” opposite Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan and Stanley Tucci. In the early comics, Phillips recruited Steve Rogers to join Project Rebirth, the secret experiment that created the Super Soldier known as Captain America. The character will be updated for the film. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

So there you have it! Marvel adds another strong actor to the already pretty impressive cast for Captain America: The First Avenger! The film is set to hit theaters on July 22, 2011!

Writer: JD Arnold

Artist: Rich Koslowski

Title: BB Wolf and the 3 LPs

ISBN: 978-1-60309-029-2

Format: 6” x 9” graphic novel, sepia-toned

Page Count: 96 pages

Binding: Hardcover

Audience: Young Adult (13+)

Price: $12.95

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Release date: May 2010

As you may have guessed BB Wolf And The Three LP’s is a retelling of the three little pigs and their run in with the Big Bad Wolf. In the usual story the Big Bad Wolf is the bad guy, but this book sets us straight and we see that the pigs are bastards. BB Wolf is a blues singer and a farmer in 1920’s Mississippi while the pigs are a bunch of conniving businessmen and members of the PPP (a pink KKK) who are out to take Wolf’s land.

Author JD Arnold takes the familiar story and makes it a tale of racism and revenge. The Littlepigs are trying to use Jim Crow laws to take over the town of Money, Mississippi but BB fights back and rallies the entire town around his farm and family. The Littlepigs seem to be giving up after a while so BB takes a break and goes into town to play some Blues, when he comes back he finds his farm and family burnt to the ground and the symbol of the PPP carved into a tree. This gives us the start of our familiar story. BB wants to find each of the little pigs and take them down.

He starts with the pig who is buying up all the land in Money, Mississippi and tears him apart with his bear hands. He does it with ease, just like the house of  straw. He then moves on to East St. Louis getting odd jobs and playing the Blues but before long he finds out the entire time he’s been working for another one of the Littlepigs and moves on to take him down. Its a little harder for him, just like the house of sticks. He then finds out that the oldest brother is running all the crime out of a factory in Chicago and he moves on to him. I wont spoil the ending but Big Bad goes after the house of bricks and we learn why hes telling us the story.

Along with the great (and sometimes very gory and brutal) illustrations by Richard Koslowski there are some of BB’s songs and a history of the story told from the Medias view showing us how we came to see Wolf as the bad guy in the story.  All in all this was a great story and a really interesting take on a classic and on racism in the American South after the Reconstruction. I highly recommend you pick this up and for on $13 for a hardcover why wouldn’t you?

This Week IN Comics we take a look at a couple of Salt Lake City based comic artists: Derek Hunter (who also moonlights as Budgetron here) and Ryan Ottley, who draws Invincible.

You can pick up IN Magazine on newstands in the greater Salt Lake area and you can read the online version here.

It was announced a while back that J. Michael Straczynski would be taking over the regular writing duties of Superman and everyone was pretty enthusiastic about that choice.  He’s brought Thor back from the obscurity he was in for a while, he had a landmark run on The Amazing Spider-Man and has been an incredible asset to comics.

It’s important to note that he was also the creator behind Babylon 5.

This interview was conducted yesterday, upon the release of the first 10 pages of his new Superman story-arc digitally, via the new DC/Comixology partnership.

Big Shiny Robot!: When it was announced that you would be taking over writing duties on Superman, I wrote a piece for the Huffington Post about how excited I was about that, but how quickly you made me remember that Superman is “The best of us. The best part of us. That unyielding optimism that cuts right through any amount of cynicism.” But with the ten pages of Grounded that have been released, it seems as though Superman himself is struggling to find out why that is for himself. Why do you think that’s an important story to tell?

J. Michael Straczynski: I don’t think he’s doubting himself, or his role, or the importance of optimism, as much as he is attempting to reconnect with the country that raised him.
As it says in the preview issue, from time to time we all fall asleep in our lives. We start to take our work, our relationships, our families almost for granted, to the point where we really stop seeing them. We look past them. So Superman is re-focusing on his home, to see what he can learn, and discover what he may have missed while being busy off-world.

I think it’s an important story to tell because the nation itself is going through a period of real re-assessment right now, and to some extent — without getting didactic or taking sides — I hope to expore some of that dynamic in the book.

BSR!: I talked to Dan Didio and he said that you were pretty positive the Grounded story would get rejected but he asked you to submit it anyway. Why is it you felt that and how did you react to getting the go ahead?

JMS: It’s a totally counter-intuitive story: take the one guy who can fly from here to Mars and back and pin him to the ground. Right now, the comics industry turns on big, cosmic events, civil wars, and the like.  Those stories are written at a yell. This story is to be written in a voice as soft and intimate and familiar as the quiet turning of your considered conscience…it’s a story that nobody else is really doing right now, and that’s risky.

So Dan and the other folks at DC are to be commended for their courage in taking this on, and trusting me to pull it off.

BSR!: Why was this story important for you to tell?

JMS: See above.

BSR!: Didio said that Superman is your favorite character. Why is that?

JMS: Growing up a kid in the mean streets of New Jersey and other areas, with very few options, Superman became an icon to me: his very existence said that anything is possible, and for me, that was a powerful message.

He also stands for what is best in us, in what we hope we are when push comes to shove.

BSR!: Where do you see things heading after this? Do you plan to take Superman further than his reconnection with America?

JMS: Let me finish this story without screwing it up, then I’ll focus on not screwing up the next one.

BSR!: How do you plan on incorporating the stories from the contest into your work?

A lot of that will depend on what comes in the door. I’m not looking for story ideas, rather reasons why Superman should visit a given area. If we set an issue in a particular town, will it do some good? Will it bring a measure of attention or interest or hope to the town?

For a lot of towns in a depressed economy, where there may not be a lot to look forward to ever day, this can be an event that folks can get involved with and have fun with, and that’s important.

BSR!: What is it you think Superman can teach America about being the best of themselves and to mend some of the breakdowns in civil discourse in our society?

JMS: Ultimately it comes down to his sense of fairness. I remember it said of Wendall Wilkie that “he knew right from left, but he also knew right from wrong.” I would apply the same to Superman, and to Clark Kent.

But this isn’t really about Superman teaching America something, or Superman trying to figure himself out. It’s about going home, to check on the family, and see how they’re doing.

It’s not about how he sees himself, it’s about how he sees us, how we see him, and in the end, how we see ourselves, since in the final analysis, any decent fiction says something about the time in which it was written. It should illuminate who we are, and that’s what I’m hoping for here.

BSR!: Do you see yourself tackling any of those breakdowns of civility in your work on Superman?

JMS: I think it’s important to do so, but again not in a way that takes sides. I’ve always said that the American eagle needs a left wing and a right wing or it ain’t getting off the ground.

Regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on, there’s no question that we as a people have been factionalized and marginalized and tribalized to within an inch of our lives, often (but not always) to the benefit of one political party or the other.

I think Superman would find that troubling, and sad. I know I do, and I think most people do. So yeah, I’d like to see him address some of that, but without getting preachy about it.

BSR!: When I talked to Dan Didio, he said that DC for a while has been not ignoring, but skirting the Americana roots of Superman and now, with your story DC is fully embracing them. Why is it important for you to do that in your story?

JMS: Because that’s how Superman started out: as an icon, as a hero who was uniquely American. For some folks, particularly those that have embraced a kind of national cynicism, that can be seen as corny, and it’s hard to write stories that showcase his American roots without getting corny.

It’s easy to write a story about a cosmic event that doesn’t have any personal or social relevance…easy to be dark or mean-spirited or cynical in your storytelling…being positive, being uplifting, without being didactic, that’s tough. So it’s easier to just ignore it.

Superman started out in a post-Depression America as the hero of the average guy against criminals and others who prey on those without highly-paid guardians. So we’re going to bring him back to that.

BSR!: For my last question, what is it you hope fans get out of this Superman story?

JMS: First and foremost, a good story. A fun read. If it doesn’t entertain, it doesn’t matter what message you’re trying to communicate, it’s dull and nobody will read it.

Beyond that…I’d hope that in seeing ourselves mirrored in Superman’s eyes — the eyes of an alien who came to this world and sees us for all our nobilities and our flaws — that we would emerge with a greater sense of kindness.

It’s a wild dream, I know, but I write comics, and Superman is my icon, and anything is possible….

Jim Lee is perhaps one of comics biggest super-stars, having drawn seminal runs on Batman in the 2000s, X-Men in the 1990s and was the founder of Wildstorm comics in 1992.  Today, he serves as the Co-Publisher of DC Comics (alongside Dan Didio.)  They replaced Paul Levitz.

John Rood is the Executive VP of Sales & Marketing for DC Entertainment.  Before coming on to DC Entertainment, Rood spent 10 years at ABC Family where he was, most recently, the Senior VP of Marketing.

The two of them took the time to talk with me about DC’s monumental move into digital comics, changing that game forever.  (For more info about it, you can read Androidika’s remarks this morning.)

BSR: As Far as DC jumping into digital, what was the inciting event that made DC want to make that jump, and why the choice to launch today?

John Rood: It’s a long process.  It’s a process that began prior to the new executives being named in February.  We have an outstanding set of colleagues on a digital task force that have been following potential platforms and partnerships and we wanted to get it right.  First is not always best and we are really pleased by how much we listen to our retail partners and how much we listen to consumers and how much we followed where we thought the best interface is and who the best potential vendor partners were.  And we found them in this first step with Comixology and Sony and there will be other partners.

Jim Lee: It’s just the DC path.  We also wanted to have a set in stone payment program so that creators, as we launch their titles digitally, that they would be fairly compensated for the work they were doing.

BSR!: It sounds like you guys have more steps, moving into digital, and I guess the one question you’re getting from everybody is, “Are you going to have an online subscription service where people can get on with a computer instead of having to have a mobile device or their playstation?”

JR: There are going to be other platforms and there are going to be other partners.  We don’t know yet if there are going to be other prices.  To date I haven’t heard, anecdotally, of a subscription model that’s working.  And maybe that’s just because Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern haven’t come to the party.  We’re going to let our consumers and retailers tell us which pricing models are optable which pricing models are additive.  Because it’s all about being additive.  Furthermore, there are other places where graphic content can be enjoyed digitally, so we’re anticipating other places.  E-Readers like the Kindle are on our radar, mobile devices like the DROID are on our radar.

JL: And you can actually read our comics on your computer.  If you go to Comixology.Com, they have their DC branded store where you can download the books.  When you do that, you have convergence, where you can read it on your computer screen, your mobile device, or your iPad.  And momentarily it will be at DCComics.com.

BSR!: You guys are having a portion of the proceeds going to retailer affiliate programs.  Why was that important to you guys and what exactly is that going to entail?

JR: There is no better place to evangalize these brands than at the comic book shop and we consider the retailers and fellow consumers at brick and mortar stores to not only DC Comics, but content born of DC Comics like the films, television, interactive entertainment, merchandise.  We’ve heard for a long time that no one listens to the retailer better than we do and we wanted to continue that valued streak, and bring to market a digital program that is seen by retailers as additive.  And that’s why it mattered.  Money talks and we will have funds that will be spent in a variety of ways in collaboration and in agreement with our retailers.

JL: We really see this as an opportunity to reach new audiences and new comic book fans, fans that don’t live near shops, kids.  But the ultimate goal is to drive traffic back into the local comic book shop.  Our industry is a little bit different than newspapers or magazines, in that we’re not as reliant on advertising revenue, so our core business is very stable and strong, so we really see this as  an opportunity to build on that and grow, rather than replacing something that’s not working.

JR: I should say we got our marching orders from Arianna Huffington herself when she talks about the four Es.  Engagement, Enthusiasm, Empathy and Energy.  You’ll see that manifested in our launch.  Consumer engagement is paramount to us.  You’re finding enthusiasm from the creators and retailers participating in this launch.  We have an empathy to maintain our traditional business and make digital seem only additive and certainly, we’re all about energy.

BSR!: You guys are doing something are releasing, at least for now, one miniseries on the same day on the comixology app as the comic book store.  Is that something you’re experimenting with to see the viability of it?  Do you expect to do more of that?

JL: You’re right in labeling it an experiment.  Part of it is that we were interested in seeing to what degree our consumers wanted to collect comics digitally, to be part of the excitement for a comic books release and be able to have both for convenience and an opportunity to buy it at the same time as their friends who is buying in print form.  And we plan on getting feedback from the brick and mortar stores and seeing if it creates an uptick in sales because there’s a lot of enthusiasm and excitement and interest in that title because it’s earmarked as a day and date title.  And there’s a lot of tentative interest and debate over the longterm viability of that program and it’s something we definitely want to explore and build on.

BSR!: I downloaded the app this morning and read the  10 page arc of Superman: Grounded.  Do you see this is a tool to help you let people sample comics for free in hopes that they’ll get to the brick and mortar stores.

JR: We definitely want to close the loop and drive greater traffic to brick and mortar and use that mixed economy and track consumers who are actually doing that.  To date, research and good anecdotal feedback about, not only to Jim’s point about people filling out their collections multi-media, but new consumers through digital and being driven and incentivized to get to their local comic shop, which warms our heart.  We really intend for this to be additive.  This changes the game today.  The game changer is that DC is in it.  And so we expect even greater traffic back to retailers as a result of our offering and our empathy in the way we go about pricing and sampling and the selection of titles and our entire intent is to be additive.

BSR!: I’ve had apps like this for a while and I’ll read a story and think, “Do I want to spend the $2 or $3 to buy it now, or just go to my shop and buy the trade, or do I just buy the first issue?”  Has there been any thought to offering a discount at the brick and mortar store if you’ve bought the entire trade digitally, or something.  Are there thoughts along those lines?

JR: Yeah, I would say.  We’ve mentioned that this is the first step of several of this being a digital strategy and I think the part that is going to be most interesting and compelling is this retailer incentive.  Or incentives to get people to go to their local comic book shop and you’re going to see us do things that have never been done before.  And it will be across all media, to ensure that the comic book shop remains vital.  There are several other things that will expand, and today’s focus is certainly periodicals and we look forward to bringing original graphic novels and magazine offerings to these digital publishing.  But to your point, we’re going to make more and more compelling incentives to bring customers into stores.

BSR!: Do you guys see exclusive content that will be just digital that people can’t find in stores to tease for things you can only get in stores?

JL: It’s interesting, when we first went down this path, we discussed that option, but as we got into the strategy and realized that it’s crucial for us to close the loop in terms of driving new fans to the brick and mortar store that we realized this channel is all about expanding the core business.  And if that’s really your intent, then limiting it to one channel of distribution seems counter-intuitive.  At least at the beginning.  That being said, we’ve experimented with digital only content before with Zuda.com and will continue with that. But eventually, anything that sells well will be collected into print because there’s a very strong, very viable appetite for that from our core consumer.

BSR!: What is the cost difference between putting something on this app versus sending it to the store where maybe… do you guys see yourselves trying to try out talent like you did with Zuda.com using this tool.

JR: Absolutely.  We’ve got more tools in our toolbox now to develop our roster of creators and to bring content to the customers instantaneously to hear their response to it.

JL: One of the great things about comics is the interactivity between the fan reader and the professionals.  I think having this channel will make having that channel more intuitive and more real time than ever before.  We feel a lot of opportunities where the fan response will shape the kind of stories we create and the kind of stories we tell and the format we tell them in.

BSR!: The established print media has been grappling with the switch to digital.  How confident are you guys that this is the way that DC needs to go to thrive in that market and how important do you think that market is?

JR: We’re soon going to be finding out how important it is, we’ve only been basing it on anecdotes and the missteps of others.  But we have every intent for it to be additive.  We have no intent for it to replace media.  We’re doing it to further engage.  And we’re doing it broaden a consumer base for our comics and shops, but also for all the DC Entertainment brought to you by Warner Brothers.  So we’re very excited about being where the consumers are, giving them what they tell us they want, and letting them read comics in more and more places in more and more varying ways.

BSR!: Thank you guys for your time.

JR & JL: Thank you.