LEE BERMEJO

The DC Collectibles Designer Series has been home figures based on the art of some of the publishing arm's biggest stars like Darwyn Cooke, Amanda Conner and Greg Capullo. There have been a number of statues that have featured the stylings of those artists, and many more, but only a select few have been given the privilege of having their own individual action figure lines. Lee Bermejo is the latest to join such rarefied air with a Batman and Superman delivered in his gritty style. It's almost a shame the rest of the line was already canceled.

What may go down as one of the worst years in recent memory is slowly crawling to a close, and while we wish it good riddance and hope against hope that 2017 will be an improvement, there is some small solace in looking back over the year that's passed and figuring out what stuff from it was the best. That's right, it's "Best of..." list time, and today we're taking a look at the Best DC Covers of 2016.

Dark Horse unveiled a slate of new titles for the coming year in a presentation at the retaiiler event Comics PRO in Portland on Thursday, as part of its planned 30th anniversary celebrations. In addition to the previously announced free 40-page 30th Anniversary Dark Horse Day Sampler, showcasing classic Dark Horse titles, the publisher will debut new series by fan-favourite creators including Jeff Lemire, Gail Simone and Cullen Bunn.

I can't imagine the holidays are very fun for Batman. Sure he's got that big surrogate family around some times, but bad guys always seem to have some kind of tricks up their sleeves to ruin the season for the innocent people of Gotham. Case in point, the original graphic novel, Batman Noel, in which Lee Bermejo does a superhero retelling of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, and must track the Joker down because that guy is always up to no good. Bob Crachit and Tiny Tim do appear, and Superman and Catwoman fill the roles of the visiting "ghosts." And yes, Batman is Scrooge. Obviously the developers at WB Montreal were big fans of the book, as they included Bermejo's redesigned Batsuit as an unlockable alternate skin for Batman in Batman: Arkham Origins. Who could blame them really? It's a sharp interpretation that doesn't get too cute, and keeps the basic elements of Batman's core design in tact while allowing Bermejo to include plenty of technical details. While DC Collectibles does have an action figure based on Bermejo's design coming in 2016, Prime 1 Studios will be releasing a quarter-scale statue based on the Arkham Origins version of the suit for those of you with much more expendable income.

We are quickly approaching the November 25 release date for Dark Knight III: The Master Race, Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson's eight-issue miniseries chronicling the final adventure of an older Batman. And, as is the way of things, there are going to be plenty of variant covers for collectors to get their hands on. In addition to the usual variants --- including the 1:5000 sketch variant by Jim Lee that was announced back in August --- there are also going to be retailer-specific covers.

Many of comics’ most popular heroes have been around for decades, and in the case of the big names from the publisher now known as DC Comics, some have been around for a sizable chunk of a century. As these characters passed through the different historical eras known in comics as the Golden Age (the late 1930s through the early 1950s), the Silver Age (the mid 1950s through the late 1960s), the Bronze Age (the early 1970s through the mid 1980s) and on into modern times, they have experienced considerable changes in tone and portrayal that reflect the zeitgeist of the time. With this feature we’ll help you navigate the very best stories of DC Comics’ most beloved characters decade by decade. This week, we’re taking a look at the best Lex Luthor comics.

As much as I've been enjoying most of the new "DC You" titles, I'll admit that the first issue of Lee Bermejo, Jorge Corona and Khary Randolph's We Are... Robin didn't do a whole lot for me --- and not just because of that weirdly punctuated title. That first issue had a solid main character with a clear motivation, a couple of interesting set pieces, a sweeping threat to Gotham City and a genuinely great first page, but something about it just didn't land. When the second issue hit shelves this week, though, I decided I'd give it another shot, and I'm glad I did, because this is where the hook finally lands, and where the story ramps up into something that's engaging, exciting, mysterious and, if you're the kind of person who obsesses over Batman's sidekicks, very rewarding to read.

Created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Cyborg has slowly moved up the ranks in the DC Universe, growing from Teen Titan into a fully-fledged member of the Justice League. To mark the launch of his new solo series from David F. Walker, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado and Adriano Lucas, we've collected some of the best Cyborg art ever.

Not everyone can make it to San Diego Comic-Con to see what's happening in person, but ComicsAlliance has you covered! We know that it's not just about the news that comes out of the biggest con of the year --- it's also about seeing the booths, checking out new collectibles, and putting faces to names of your favorite creators. Thankfully talented photographer Pat Loika is on hand to document as much as he can for your enjoyment.

DC Collectibles kicked off San Diego Comic-Con 2015 with a preview event highlighting many of the bigger figures and series we'll be seeing over the course of the next 12 months. From continued support for the Icons and TV series lines to new Designer Series figures and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice pieces, there's a little bit of something for everyone in DC Collectibles' plans. As cool as it was to see many of the new items on hand, the stars of the show were the characters getting the Darwyn Cooke touch as part of his Designer wave. Cooke's long been a favorite of mine, and his New Frontier figures from way back when are still some of the most stylish in my collection. Now that he's adding new takes on Batman, Supergirl, Adam Strange and Harley Quinn, I couldn't be happier. Combined with the expansion of the Batman: The Animated Series line to more obscure characters, 2015 and 2016 are shaping up to be a good time for clean, simple designs.