Revealed in Vertigo's December solicitations is the cover to The Sandman: Overture #2 by Dave McKean - actually, it's J.H. Williams III. Click ahead for full info on the issue. 

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If you hate sadness and poor decision-making, you may have avoided reading news about DC Comics lately – and, after Batfleck, who would blame you? [Ed note: Batfleck is great. - Glen] But with the recent news about Batwoman, things seem to keep getting worse for the comics giant.

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DC Comics' PR has taken multiple hits this week, and this weekend is a major convention, so you know what that means: DC higher ups giving unsatisfying responses to fan outcry at Baltimore Comic Con. Specifically, we're talking about Dan DiDio saying that superheroes should never have happy personal lives, Aquaman and Mera aren't married, and that a new writer will be taking over Batwoman with issue #25.

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J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman announced late last night that, after having given the matter much thought, they have decided that they can no longer work under their current state of editorial interference, and will be walking off DC's Batwoman title as of issue #26. Batwoman, a perrennial GLAAD award nominee, is also the first superhero title at Marvel or DC to feature a lesbian character in the lead. Williams and Blackman have said they were upset at long outlined and communicated plot events being overturned by editorial at the last minute, but the one that bothered them most was DC prohibiting them from ever allowing series lead Kate Kane to marry her fiancée Maggie Sawyer.

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Two weeks ago the Sandman prequel cover by artist J.H. Williams III was revealed, showing Morpheus fully dressed with the mask and dreamstone he was wearing during the events that kicked off the Sandman series. Now a cover by Dave McKean, the artist who created the recognizable covers for the series 25 years ago, has been released, complete with Dream sitting on his throne, and Anubis and other figures teasing us from behind the chair with hints of what we might be looking forward to. Of the dark alternate cover, Neil Gaiman told Entertainment Weekly,

“There is something special about Dave McKean that makes it feel real....I get the same thrill I got 25 years ago seeing his covers…”

Head past the jump to see the first page of the prequel, illustrated by Williams, as well as the San Diego Comic Con souvenir book cover featuring Morpheus, illustrated by McKean.

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The New York Times had the honor of debuting the cover to Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams III's The Sandman: Overture #1. It will be available on October 30th and help usher in six new titles at DC Entertainment's Vertigo imprint. The six-issue mini-series will be published every other month with a special edition of the same issue published in between. NYT says it "will include more of the artwork (because of translucent word balloons developed by the letterer Todd Klein), as well as behind-the-scenes commentary and character sketches." (via New York Times) Previously in Neil Gaiman

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It was surprising because I had expected a PR push, but like I said it became apparent quickly that it worked in our favor that nothing was spoiled for the readers. It gave them an unexpected jolt, shaking them up emotionally. The issue got picked up by outside media regardless of PR, Reuters and Huffington Post, to name a couple. I love that because there is nothing worse than building up something that is important to how a story impacts the reader, ruining the moment for them is the worst thing you can do. I do despise spoilers. PR works best if it can tease efficiently without just blurting crap out. So even though we did not prime ahead of time in this instance at all, it turned out just fine, and gave it all an honesty and power that the scene much deserved. -- J.H. Williams III, artist and writer on Batwoman when asked by Comic Book Resources about DC Comics' odd lack of a PR push for the last issue. I myself wondered why DC Comics had chosen not to make a big PR push for Kate Kane proposing to her girlfriend Maggie Sawyer in Batwoman #17 last month, since comics companies these days don't really seem to care about spoilers if they can get some publicity about it, and only a few weeks later DC made my point even more relevant by spoiling a major death in the Batfamily all over the place. My last assumption was that perhaps Williams had specifically asked them not to spoil it, but this quote from his interview with Comic Book Resources would seem to indicate the opposite. I'm glad that Williams is happy with the result, but still puzzled by DC's lack of press for the issue. Still, the issue got enough press on its own, so maybe DC and Marvel will take the hint and stop spoiling everything. Previously in Batwoman

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Syfy's Face Off is one of my favorite shows. I've always been interested in movie makeup but didn't have the skill to make it a career plus, the show isn't overly dramatized like most reality TV these days. They premiered the fourth season last night and while I've yet to watch the episode, we've just found out some people we're very familiar with will be making a guest appearance in a few weeks - employees of DC Comics. Find out if your favorite creator will be giving their artistic input to the contestants after the cut. 

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Vertigo Comics has been the more serious, adult oriented arm of DC Comics since 1993 and at the very start was Karen Berger. Getting Neil Gaiman's The Sandman published was just one of this editor's countless accomplishments at the company, you can also put Hellblazer and V for Vendetta in that group, so it's with a great deal of disappointment we must report she's leaving the DC Entertainment altogether.

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We'll be along with a recap of some of the news you may have missed at Comic-Con International yesterday in a bit. This just couldn't rest. It was revealed at the Vertigo Comics panel yesterday - Neil Gaiman is set to do a Sandman prequel mini-series for them in 2013. With art by J.H. Williams III. I know. We couldn't believe it either. I believe this calls for a certain image... 

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DC's DCnU kicks off tomorrow, and it seems like only yesterday we were getting the first details of it, gingerly leaked by a DC Comics that was seemingly uncomfortable with digital marketing strategy and unprepared for the intense fan backlash regarding some differing notions of diversity, continuity, and character. But unless you're picking up a copy of Justice League #1, your DCnU doesn't start tomorrow. Mine doesn't start until next Wednesday, when I'll be picking up Batgirl, Detective Comics and Stormwatch, for starters. And while I'm really excited to see Apollo and Midnighter back in action, there's one more badass (and coincidentally gay) superhero in the DCnU that I can endorse even more heartily: Batwoman, whose title starts up in the middle of September and who The Advocate previewed and showcased yesterday.

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Amy Reeder is collaborating with J.H. Williams III on a story arc for the current Batwoman's first ongoing series, which starts up next month as a part of the DCnU. Both Reeder and Williams will illustrate alternate issues, but the original plan was to have both of them do covers for each book. That way, Reeder's covers would go on variant issues of Williams' interiors, and vice versa. Now, according to Reeder's blog, just as she was finishing the fourth of five covers, DC has decided that it'll be using Williams' covers on all the books. Fortuantely, for the rest of us, Reeder posted the unused covers on her blog. More behind the jump!

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J.H. Williams III, the artist and co-writer behind an Batwoman, offered a sneak peak at the cover to Batwoman #3 in exchange for the title's unexpected delay with no announcement of an eventual release date. No explanation for the delay has been forthcoming from DC, and Williams could offer no information on that score, either, saying only : "This was not our choice, and as to why, I’m not at liberty to really discuss." (via Comics Alliance.)

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DC Women Kicking Ass, your source for all things female in the DC Comics world as well as occasional ass-kickery, is reporting that the first two issues of Batwoman will be delayed, will not be published with the other May and June solicits, and have at this point in time been given no updated publication date. Here's why this is worth your time reading about.

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This weekend is Wondercon and of course announcements are rolling out to let us know what to expect from the world of comics, movies, and science fiction. The two that have caught our eye are not exactly what we would call reassuring.

DC Comics has announced that Frank Miller and Jim Lee are still dedicated to the long running "deadline challenged" series of All-Star Batman and Robin, and will be starting up a new series Dark Knight: Boy Wonder, to begin running in February 2011. They promise that these issues will ship on time. Without, you know, switching to a bi-monthly schedule halfway through. And then a five month delay on the last issue which ultimately has to be recalled.

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The 21st GLAAD awards were held in last night, seeking as always to "recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgend

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When was the last time you heard someone say, perhaps while in line at the comic store counter, "I don't normally read this title but I had to pick it up this week. ______ ______ is my favorite letterer?"

Not recently, huh? Todd Klein's series of alphabet prints have made me wish that it would happen more often. Klein was responsible for the lettering on Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Swamp Thing, Fables, Top 10, and a good deal of the comics that made me like comics, including Batman: Year One, and Sandman. For Sandman, specifically, Klein created seven distinct styles of lettering for the voices of each of the Endless, from Destiny's hard italics to Delirium's candy colored balloons.

Klein is currently doing a series of alphabetically themed prints showcasing his talent and the talents of some of the biggest names in comics; letters A through E have been completed.

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