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SAN DIEGO — Artist Jim Lee’s deft and muscular take on the DC Comics Universe is at the heart of Sony Online Entertainment’s “DC Universe Online.”

Lee topped comic-book sales charts with his interpretations of Batman and Superman.  Those interpretations come to 3-D life in “Universe,” as Lee served as the project’s executive creative director.

In “Universe,” which is being developed for the personal computer and the PlayStation 3, gamers will create a character that can then interact with the world of DC comic books online. 

“We’re literally opening the door and letting you walk right into the world of the DC Universe,” said Debby Sue Wolfcale, senior brand manager for SOE. 

The well-known characters like Superman, Batman and Green Lantern will fight alongside or against characters created by players.

“These characters have an intensity and power all their own,” Wolfcale said. “(’DC Universe Online’ will) bring that same intensity and musculature … to the player characters.”

In addition to characters, location will be a key component of the game.  Locations planned include Metropolis, Gotham City and the Bat Cave.

“We want to make location like another character,” Wolfcale said. “You get as excited to be going into the Bat Cave as you get seeing Batman.”

– Matt Price

CC2K talks to Tulsa-raised writer Sterling Gates about his recent “Green Lantern Corps” arc.

“I did do a lot of research for my story arc in Corps,” Gates tells CC2K. ”Though having already researched the Secret Files, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.  Boodikka of Bellatrix had a bunch of appearances to reread, and I kind of adjusted things other people had done that I thought made her weak or come off as stereotypical. My take on her as a Bellatrix Bomber is very different from anyone else’s, but I think it’s a more pure take on the character and unifies with how she’s been portrayed the last few years.”

The DC Universe is shaken up, Dave Sim returns, and Brian Wood’s “Local” releases its penultimate issue.  The easy sell of this week should be “DC Universe” Zero, which retails for only 50 cents. It’s written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Also by Johns this week – ”Green Lantern” No. 30 and “Action Comics” No. 864.  “Action” features art by Gary Frank (edit: whoops, this issue is Joe Prado), and the cover, shown here, by Kevin Maguire (”Justice League International”). The Oklahoma adventures of Thor get a hardcover release, written by J. Michael Straczynski.  Full list and commentary after the break.

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Tulsa writer Sterling Gates, now living in Los Angeles, attended the recent New York City Comic Con as a guest of DC Comics.
Gates signed comics for fans, and even did some sketches, though he hasn’t seriously drawn comics in three years.
“I had a line (of fans) before I even got there, and someone must’ve told them I could draw, because I think I had twenty sketch requests while I was sitting there,’ he said.
Gates accommodated their requests, drawing Green Lanterns and other characters for fans. His go-to drawing paired the largest and smallest Green Lanterns, as conceptualized by Dave Gibbons.
“I got really good at drawing Mogo, the Green Lantern that’s a planet, because he’s just this circle with some land masses and a giant Green Lantern symbol on him,” he said.
“Then, as a flourish, I would add his partner, Bzzd, the bug Green Lantern.”
While in New York, Gates visited the offices of comic-book publisher DC Comics.

“I took a tour of DC Comics, which I’d always wanted to see as a kid, and met a lot of the terrific behind-the-scenes people that keep my favorite comics coming out month to month.”
As for news, DC released several interesting tidbits and promotions, including a poster featuring a blue-eyed Flash. The current Flash, Wally West, has green eyes - but Barry Allen, who died in the 1986 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” series, had eyes of blue.
Gates, meanwhile, is staying busy with upcoming projects, though none of them are yet ready to be announced.
“I’ve got something in the works, though,” Gates said.

– Matt Price

From Friday’s The Oklahoman: 

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS

The second part of the “Green Lantern Corps” story by University of Oklahoma graduate Sterling Gates hit stores this week. In “Green Lantern Corps” No. 22, “The Curse of the Alpha Lanterns” concludes.

The Alpha Lanterns are the Internal Affairs officers of the Green Lantern Corps.

“The Alpha Lanterns, which were created by (writer) Grant Morrison, are a complete mystery, and it was up to me and (writer) Geoff (Johns) to flesh out their purpose and put a spin on them and their relationships to keep them from being ‘just another Green Lantern’” Gates said. “By creating a new style of Green Lantern (an internal affairs division), Grant has added a new wrinkle into the equation that’s a lot of fun for us to play with and explore.”

In “Curse of the Alpha Lanterns,” Alpha Lantern Boodikka comes face-to-face with her past, as she finds out her sister, Zale, has been made a Green Lantern.

“It pays off all of the threads we set up in ‘Green Lantern Corps’ No. 21 in a way that has never been done before, and shows a side to the Alpha Lanterns that no one will see coming,” Gates said.

Sterling Gates, a 2005 University of Oklahoma graduate, grew up in Tulsa and attended Edison High School, which is now Edison Preparatory Academy.

Kyle Roberts and I run down some of this week’s releases in the comics podcast.

Matt: Dynamite is doing, I think, a really good job with a lot of different genre Western stuff …  (Lone Ranger & Tonto) is a little bit of a dark Western but a very good one.  I was a little disturbed by parts of the story, but I can’t really say that it was a bad story.  There’s some people being murdered on the frontier, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto investigate. They think that one thing is happening and find out that another thing is happening that is maybe even a little darker and creepier than what we’d expected.  … This is another one that I enjoy, and I’m glad to see more options for Western characters. … If you’re enjoying the regular Lone Ranger, give Lone Ranger & Tonto a look.  It’s got a nice John Cassaday cover,  it’s written by Brett Matthews with John Abrams, and the art is by Marco Guevara.

University of Oklahoma graduate Sterling Gates and artist Nelson wrap up their two-part “Green Lantern Corps” storyline, “The Curse of the Alpha Lanterns,” tying into events in “Green Lantern” and the upcoming “Final Crisis.”

Boodikka discovers that her sister, Zale, is the Green Lantern who has been disobeying Guardian summons.  The story flashes back to Boodikka’s pre-Alpha Lantern days, as she faces a Emerald Twilight-era Hal Jordan.

Boodikka discovers what’s been happening with her former allies, the Bellatrix Bombers, and how Zale is involved.  Boodikka’s take on the situation doesn’t allow for shades of grey — but the Guardians make a decision that seems fair, and should set up some interesting storytelling possibilities down the road.

The continuing evolution of Boodikka’s character is well-crafted by Gates; the changes wrought by the Alpha Lantern process have changed the former warrior woman with authority issues into the ultimate authority.  Her sister is a window to both her past, and her previous self.

Gates sets up a nice family-versus-duty dynamic that ties up successfully while more fully exploring the relatively new Alpha Lantern concept.  Nelson keeps the story moving, and has a good feel for action scenes.

– Matt Price 

From The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price

Kyle Roberts and I review “Nova” Annual 1 on the comics podcast at the conclusion of “Nova Week.” We also review “Green Lantern Corps” 21 by Oklahoma’s Sterling Gates, as well as “X-Force” #1 and “Fantastic Four” #554 from Marvel.

– Matt Price

Tulsa native and OU graduate Sterling Gates talked to Newsarama about “Green Lantern Corps” 21 and 22, in which he will reveal more about the mysterious “Alpha Lanterns.”

“The Alpha-Lanterns act as “Internal Affairs” for the Green Lantern Corps,” Gates told Newsarama. “If someone isn’t doing their job right, they get flagged, and one of the Alpha-Lanterns is sent in to see why they’re not doing the job.”
Gates says his first issue of “Green Lantern Corps” should be new-reader friendly, as well.
“The idea is that it’s like Alpha-Lantern #1. If you’ve read Green Lantern, then you know what’s going on. But in Corps, on page one, we give you an origin box of what the Alpha-Lanterns are and what they do to try to make it very reader friendly.”