DC Comics Changes Free Comic Book Day Cover, Character Looks

Over at the DC Comics blog this morning, the company is promoting a "first look at Co-Publisher Jim Lee's Cover to DC Comics - The New 52 FCBD Edition." The cover, pictured at right, "will be featured on all customized editions and standard copies alike," writes the publisher. The cover features Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, with the two latter characters looking somewhat different from their usual New 52 appearances, standing in front of Pandora. That doesn't exactly mesh with the previously-solicited cover, which appeared to be a mashup of images from different artists participating in the book. While it never looked exactly right, neither was there any indication that it was not final art. The Free Comic Book Day issue will feature sneak peeks at all of May's "Second Wave" of New 52 titles, including much-anticipated relaunches of Dial H for Hero and G.I. Combat as well as Earth Two and Worlds' Finest, two books that focus on the re-established DC Multiverse and which have been on the minds of fans almost constantly since they were announced. Also included will be a Justice League story by Geoff Johns, with art by Lee and others. The issue will reportedly delve into the backstory of Pandora, the mysterious, hooded woman who first appeared at the end of Flashpoint before popping up in all of DC's September #1 issues and then again as a backup feature in last week's release of Justice League #6. A hardcover collecting the first six issues of Justice League will be released the Tuesday before Free Comic Book Day, so it's likely that all of Pandora's speaking appearances will be available to interested fans at one time. On both this Lee cover and an Action Comics #8 variant cover by Gary Frank and recently unveiled by DC, it appears as though Superman's spit-curl, which had been either missing or downplayed since the New 52 relaunch, is slowly returning. Wonder Woman's scabbard, too, appears to have returned; it's been intermittent in the New DC Universe, but had not made it onto the page in a Justice League issue yet.