UPDATE Sept 7, 2011: Just a quick note to mention that MEN OF WAR #1 hit the stands today. This is an oversize comic selling fir $3.99, which means that while the main "Sgt. Rock" story by the outstanding Ivan Brandon with art by Tom Derenick is the main attraction, there's also another story -- by me! Art by Phil Winslade. Read below for details, or just buy the thing.

And now, for the first time, if you don't live near a comic book shop, you can buy a digital copy to read on your computer or mobile device and you can do that right here.

ORIGINAL POST: In real life, like most people, I don't much like war. But war comics are awesome!

So, I'll be writing the back feature in issues 1-3 of DC's new monthly MEN OF WAR. The main story is penned by the estimable Ivan Brandon with art by Tom Derenick and features Joe Rock, grandson of the legendary Sgt. Rock. And it looks mindblowing!

My story is called NAVY SEALS: ICE AND TRACKER. The actual story title is "Human Shields." The Navy SEALs go through an incredibly thorough and brutal training program. Then they undertake some of the most dangerous and important missions our military will ever face, like the Osama Bin Laden mission, for one. But there are some situations not even the SEALs can prepare for. Sometimes they have to reach deep inside, past their training and into their own basic humanity. That's what "Human Shields" is about.

And most exciting for me, the art is by one of my favorites in the biz, Phil Winslade (Howard the Duck, Vertigo's Nevada, etc.).

Twenty-four pages. Three 8-page episodes. The three-fisted first issue of MEN OF WAR hits comic book stores September 7. And thanks to DC's "digital day-and-date" initiative, the comic will also be available for immediate download to your iPad, iPhone or other device on the same day. So you can roll out of bed, buy it and read about war first thing in the morning. Should you choose to do so.

Below is the cover art for MEN OF WAR #1 (by Viktor Kalvachev).

Here are some nice ones. Always a good feeling when people seem to "get it."

CRAVE Online (Scores it 8.5/10)

"The Search For Swamp Thing #1 is a set up issue, but a well-written one. The story plays to both fans of Swamp Thing and those just stepping into that world. The idea for what’s driving Swamp Thing mad is also interesting, a point we haven’t seen thus far in DC. The only problem with the issue is how hard it is to invest fully into it with no idea if Swamp Thing will have a place in the new DC Universe. I’m excited to see how the separation of Alec Holland and Swamp Thing will work itself out but I also don’t want to get burned by the reboot. In a sense of pure quality I say risk it, Search For Swamp Thing #1 sets up what could be a doozy of a story."

YAHOO! ASSOCIATED CONTENT

"Successfully combines the more 'mature world of Vertigo with the DC Universe in a brilliant manner…. Vankin also does a wonderful job of building up suspense and dropping a bomb right before the close of the book to leave you sweating for more."

FANGORIA MAGAZINE

"A great characterization of Constantine… SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1 kicks things off right in the first of the three-issue miniseries…. Things are just heating up in the first issue, so don’t miss out on all the action!"

COMIC BOOK DAILY

HERETICAL JARGON

And my personal favorite...

SPACE BOOGER

Enjoy...!

BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING, my first work for the DC Universe, hits comic book stores tomorrow (6/22). I hope you'll check it out. And if you can't get to a comic shop, you can order it from New York's powerhouse MidTown Comics online store by clicking on the image above.

You can also take a look at a sneak preview, featuring the first "John Constantine Meets Batman" scene, right here.

The first issue of my 3-part mini-series BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING hits comics shops next week. On Wednesday, June 22 to be exact. The reappearance of John Constantine in the DC Universe is a pretty big deal, and when Dan DiDio and Bob Harras told me they wanted me to handle it, I was honored, to be honest.

At the same time, I felt a little funny about it because, as a former Vertigo editor I knew how much the character meant to Karen Berger. Not only do I respect the character but, more importantly, I have nothing but the highest respect for Karen.

All I could do, then, was honor the character by writing the "real" John Constantine as best I could. So even though the John in my series is a different version of John Constantine from the John who appears monthly in Vertigo's long-running Hellblazer series, in my mind, he's still the same guy: a cynical, sarcastic, self-interested anti-hero -- with just enough of a conscience to make life hard on himself.

Throughout the whole three issues, you'll find little references to John's history. Some are pretty obvious, others not so much. I wanted to include those not to show how clever I am or how many back issues of Hellblazer I've read, but to pay my own small homage to the writers who guided John through his last 25 or so years of adventures: in particular Alan Moore who created John, and Jamie Delano who gave John the personality and history that all Constantine aficionados know well.

Of course, like any writer, I put my own "spin" on John. Constantine's often referred to as "the working class mage." To me, the emphasis is on working class. I see John as a man who's always had t make his own way through life. No one ever gives him anything. If there's a problem to be solved, he takes care of it himself. And he does it with a hard-edged sense of humor that acts as his defense against the cruelties and unfairness of the world. The odds are always against him. But he uses his wits and, when he has to, a little magic to turn them back in his favor.

That's how I see John Constantine. That's how I tried to write him in this series. I hope you'll pick up the first issue on Wednesday.