Darkseid

DC Comics’ big summer event one-shot DC Universe: Rebirth #1 goes on sale this week, and the internet is abuzz with news, reveals and spoilers concerning one of the biggest comics of the year. The one-shot by Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Gary Frank and Ivan Reis sees the return of familiar faces from inside and outside the DC Universe, and DC is already publicizing those revelations in the press, so we’ve rounded up the biggest developments from this blockbuster story from DC-approved sources like USA Today, IGN and CBR, for those readers who want the full rundown. If you don't want to be spoiled for any of the events of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 before the book comes out on Wednesday, go learn about some other comics you could be reading instead. Spoilers for the future of the DC Universe follow.

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with 75 years of superhero comics behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in comics in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! This week we're looking at Darkseid, the tiger force at the core of all things! Perhaps the biggest of DC's big bads, Darkseid might be Jack Kirby's most enduring legacy at Detective Comics Comics. In this video, learn the connection between the new god of evil and the legend of Curly's gold, the evilest inhabitants of Apokolips, and the secret of the anti-life equation.

The one and only Batgirl of Burnside is getting her own DC Icons action figure, complete with motorcycle and smartphone this November. That's it. That's the news. We can wrap it up. I could talk about the rest of the new DC Icons announced by DC Collectibles today (via IGN), but then I wouldn't be able to get in my car to drive to Los Angeles and grab this figure from the production room while all of the DC Collectibles employees are at Toy Fair this weekend. I consider myself a patient man, but I can't wait until November for this. Batgirl was just one of six new figures announced for the Icons line, as well as two accessory packs to add even more Easter egg mayhem to these figures. Technically I guess you would count Grail as a seventh figure even though she's part of a two-pack with Darkseid, but you get what I'm saying. Right?

There are many things you can point to in superhero comics as examples of sexism and gender essentialism. Today we will ignore those. Today, we come not to bury comics and their handling of gender issues, but to praise them. Today we salute those brave men who stare down a world of gender-coded clothing choices and say, "No. Not on my watch. Not around my waist." We speak, of course, of the male miniskirt.

It's never the wrong time to read a Jack Kirby comic, but with the King's birthday coming up in two weeks, now is a better time than most. Of course, the big problem there is trying to narrow it down --- Kirby's career did, after all, span six decades and involve some pretty prolific major work --- but really, when you want to read Kirby comics, you want to go for the big stuff. And there's nothing bigger than Darkseid finally launching his attack on Earth, a battle so titanic that it took the combined forces of the Justice League and their most diabolical villains to repel it. It's the most titanic battle possible, on the grandest, most cosmic scale! Except for the part where, you know, it doesn't actually happen.

Looks like ScreenCrush and ComicsAlliance are teaming up to do another Funko Pop giveaway. Can you believe it? As if we haven't already given away enough Pops to fill up a living room, we're actually ending summer with yet another contest. We'd say it's because we like you and want you to have nice things, but honestly, it's because we just can't keep this many Pops in the house all the staffers of ComicsAlliance and ScreenCrush live in and make it to the kitchen unabated. This time, we've got a few of the most popular leading ladies in the Marvel Universe, as well as the big bad Darkseid and a classic Batman in honor of the 1966 series. Those guys are nice and all, but it's really about the Agent Carter, Black Widow and Storm Pops. That's a trifecta that would put nearly any other trio to shame, in both ass-kickingness and costume amazingness. Those are totally real words, too. Look 'em up in Roget's next time you visit 1987.

Sometimes, amazing things can come out of casual conversations. That's what happened this weekend when Luke Herr was plotting out an RPG campaign based around the idea of retelling Jack Kirby's classic Fourth World saga as a western, full of gun-slinging cowboys and steam-powered parademons battling it out in a town called Hope, and artist Kyle Latino stepped up to do some redesigns for what they began calling "The 4th West."

Q: Do you think Darkseid deserves to be considered the ultimate bad guy of the DC Universe? What are his achievements? -- @Lionel_Leal A: I don't want to turn this into "Ask Chris About Jack Kirby's Fourth World" --- as opposed to my usual strategy of spending an entire week talking about the moral significance of Batman's utility belt or whatever --- but over the last few years, Darkseid has been a more prominent fixture of the DC Universe than any other time in his forty-year history. I think it probably started with how he was treated on Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League, but just in the past three years we've seen him as the villain that launched the New 52, and the villain who's probably going to show up in a movie about the Justice League at some point. So with all due respect, LL, it's not really a matter of "Darkseid deserves." Darkseid is.

Q: How immediately should we should we all be buying the new Orion by Walt Simonson omnibus? -- @atnorwood A: Every now and then I like to take a swing at a softball question, but this one is just gently wafting over the plate, taking a moment to stop offer me an engraved invitation. So here's the quick answer: Ideally, you should be buying that Orion omnibus right now, if not sooner, maybe going as far as buying it in back issues too so you have something to read while you wait for it to be delivered. As a general rule of thumb, pretty much anything with the words "WALT SIMONSON" written on the cover is something that's going to be worth having on your bookshelf.

There is no God, only Darkseid. Darkseid is the alpha and omega. And now thanks to Sideshow Collectibles, you can proudly display the benevolent ruler of Apokolips in your home to lord over your every move.