CANADIAN FAN EXPO: DC BIG GUNS PANEL

TORONTO -- There weren't a lot of Big Guns at DC Comics' Big Guns panel -- four, in fact -- but Geoff Johns brought plenty of ammunition.

Johns announced two major projects at the panel: All Star Batgirl with J.G. Jones and a Green Lantern project with Ethan Van Sciver.

Johns, Van Sciver, Terry Dodson and a late arriving Jim Lee were featured at the panel.

All Star Batgirl is tentatively targeted to be six issues and to launch in November 2007. Although not in content, All Star Batgirl owes it roots to 52, which Johns is co-writing and Jones is providing covers for.

"It won't have anything to do with All Star Batman," Johns said, adding that Barbara Gordon will be involved in a mystery.

Johns likened the Green Lantern project -- targeted for April -- as the next level of Green Lantern: Rebirth.

"The focus is setting up the kind of stories for the next year, and it's tied to what's going on in the DC Universe," Johns said.

"It's more candy for Green Lantern fans," said Van Sciver, who worked with Johns on a redesign for Sinestro on Saturday night.

In other notes from the panel:

* Johns said to look for "lots of Rip Hunter" in 52.

* Asked where his work is at for the now bi-monthly Wonder Woman, Dodson said, "I'm on the last page of the last script I was given."

Dodson said he's committed to five issues of Wonder Woman and "hopefully longer."

"It's a matter of if I decide I'm enjoying myself," he said. "I'm having a good time right now."

* Johns said DC is "really putting the heat on" creators to meet deadlines for monthly books. "We're working as hard as we can," he said.

* Dodson said he thought Wonder Woman was a good match for him. That, and the combination of a writer (Allan Heinberg), publicity and the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, made him feel it was the right time to draw the title.

* The panel all agreed that companies exclusives were good for both creators and publishers. Lee, with the perspective of both sides, noted that publishers can lock up sustained runs on titles.

* Teen Titans #42, in December, will feature Blue Devil and Kid Devil. "It explains how Kid Devil got the way he is and it ties into some of the stuff we're doing in 52," Johns said.

* Van Sciver said Superman/Batman #30 will be his last issue of the title. "It has Superman, Kilowog and a lot of Plastic Man stuff, a brand-new redesign for Plastic Man," he said. "And a very super secret thing with Superman."

* Dodson said the issue of Wonder Woman he's been working on features the origin of Hercules.

* Lee said he finished a page Friday.

"It's Spartan and Voodoo from WildCats, and they're getting it on. Seriously," Lee said. "I had to send it to the inker for Saturday and I was a little concerned that it would be help up in customs because they get a little zealous about stuff.

"It wasn't anything too bad. My editor said, 'You know, this is an all-age book.' And I said, 'Don't worry, we'll just blur everything out.'

"So when you see it, it might look digitally stretched or blurred. But the original was pretty hot."

* Johns said Captain Atom: Armageddon and WildStorm's reset will tie into 52. "Believe it or not," he said.

* Johns on the December-debuting Justice Society of America: "Alan and Jay and Ted wanted to expand the Justice Society into a real society. So they do a big recruitment drive and they try to bring in as many legacy characters as they can.

"They trace all these bloodlines of old heroes. And while they're bringing them in, somebody else is trying to eliminate them. That's kind of the first arc.

"It's all about how JSA is kind of the hub of the DCU and every character is connected to the JSA at some point."

* Van Sciver is doing a cover for WildStorm's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. "It's going to be great," Van Sciver said. "A guy wearing someone else's skin."

* Johns said Teen Titans #41 will feature three new Titans, including Raven. "The next four issues, you'll see a bunch of Titans who were Titans during 52," Johns said. "In 52 Week 21, we have Infinity Inc. versus the new Teen Titans, and they're terrible. It's like Beast Boy and a bunch of D-list teenagers that really can't cut it."