MattBrady
06-15-2007, 09:52 AM
<a href=http://www.newsarama.com/heroes_philly07/DC/mystery.html target=new><img src=http://www.newsarama.com/heroes_philly07/DC/CDMYS_Cv1_solicit_t.jpg border=0 align=right></a>As announced earlier today at Philadelphia, in September DC will continue to expand upon and explore the world of <b>Countdown</b> with <b>Countdown to Mystery</b>, a new eight issue series beginning in September that like <b>Countdown to Adventure</b> will feature two stories each issue, this time exploring the magical/mystical corner of the DCU.
The first story by writer Steve Gerber and artists Justiniano and Walden Wong will pick up on the fate of the Helmut of Fate, after the series of one-shots several months ago. Then the back-up story by Matt Sturges and Stephen Segovia stars Eclipso.
We caught up with both writers for some brief words about their respective stories…
“The Doctor Fate story picks up where the five <b>Helmet of Fate</b> one-shots ended,” explained Steve Gerber. “The helmet returns to Earth a final time and comes into the possession of its new owner, one Dr. Kent V. Nelson. Although our Kent Nelson shares a name and a bloodline with the Doctor Fate of the 1940s, he's not the same character. He's that character's grand-nephew. He's never met the original Kent Nelson, and he's completely unaware of his progenitor's alter ego. In fact, I'm working on the premise that he may never even have heard of Doctor Fate, because Fate operated mostly in the shadows and on other planes of existence, even during his tenure with the Justice Society. He was never as well-known to the general public as, say, Flash or Green Lantern.
“While the story does make reference to events that took place in <b>Helmet of Fate</b> and the <b>Day of Vengeance</b> series, new readers will be able to jump right in without having read any of those prior stories. This is a new series about a new character, and it'll be comprehensible even to folks who've never read <i>anything</i> about Doctor Fate before.”
Fans of the good Doctor may recall <b>Helmut of Fate</b> was supposed to have led into the launch of the new Doctor Fate</b> ongoing series helmed by Gerber. The writer explained to Newsarama why that series didn’t happen and it was rethought into this new format…
“It happened primarily because of my health,” he said. “I'll spare you the details, unless you really want to know. (I've discussed them on my blog - www.stevegerber.com/sgblog - for anyone who's interested.) The bottom line is that I've been slow in turning out scripts, because my energy levels haven't exactly been at their peak. Limiting the series to eight issues and reducing the page count for <b>Doctor Fate</b> after the third issue was one way of coping with the situation. My hope is that the book will do well enough that, once I'm in better shape, we can either continue the dual-feature title or spin Doctor Fate off into his own ongoing series.”
As to the “shared” format of the title, Gerber for one is a fan…
Said the writer, “Personally, I'm very pleased. I like the dual-feature format, and I've always liked the Eclipso character, both its original incarnation and the new, more twisted version. I think the two series will complement each other well. “
[<i>continued</i>...]
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<blockquote><i>Newsarama's coverage of the 2007 Heroes Con & Wizardworld: Philadelphia</b> is brought to you by <a href=http://www.gamealmighty.com target=new><b>GameAlmighty.com</b></a> - "Truth, Justice, and Videogames by the only website run by superheroes"</i>...</blockquote></center>
And as for Sturges’<b>Eclipso</b> feature…
“This story focuses on Eclipso, who still inhabits the body of Jean Loring,” explained the writer. “I guess Eclipso's enjoyed exploring his feminine side. She's returned to Earth, after being hurled into orbit around the Sun at the end of <b>Day of Vengeance</b>. Only this time, she's working at the behest of a new - I suppose "benefactor" would be the best word - and she's serving his agenda as well as her own. I've got some good heroes to work with, including one or two that we haven't seen around in a while. And another of the main characters is a dead Englishman with a giant hole in his chest, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Like Gerber, Sturges is keen on “sharing” a title with another character and another writer, with emphasis on the latter…
“I think it's a fine idea,” He said, “though I'm obviously getting the long end of the stick here, since Steve's a lot better known than I am. But I think it's a good idea on its own merits, since you get two different stories that are in the same ballpark; if you like one, then hopefully there's a good chance you'll like the other.”
Both writers say their stories can be understood and enjoyed without having to read <b>Countdown</b> proper. And while the Doctor Fate story won’t directly intersect with the main series, the Eclipso feature seems to have a somewhat a more direct tie.
“Eclipso sets some things in motion that will ultimately be resolved in <b>Countdown</b>, as I understand it,” said Sturges, “but it's a fairly self-contained story other than that.”
The first story by writer Steve Gerber and artists Justiniano and Walden Wong will pick up on the fate of the Helmut of Fate, after the series of one-shots several months ago. Then the back-up story by Matt Sturges and Stephen Segovia stars Eclipso.
We caught up with both writers for some brief words about their respective stories…
“The Doctor Fate story picks up where the five <b>Helmet of Fate</b> one-shots ended,” explained Steve Gerber. “The helmet returns to Earth a final time and comes into the possession of its new owner, one Dr. Kent V. Nelson. Although our Kent Nelson shares a name and a bloodline with the Doctor Fate of the 1940s, he's not the same character. He's that character's grand-nephew. He's never met the original Kent Nelson, and he's completely unaware of his progenitor's alter ego. In fact, I'm working on the premise that he may never even have heard of Doctor Fate, because Fate operated mostly in the shadows and on other planes of existence, even during his tenure with the Justice Society. He was never as well-known to the general public as, say, Flash or Green Lantern.
“While the story does make reference to events that took place in <b>Helmet of Fate</b> and the <b>Day of Vengeance</b> series, new readers will be able to jump right in without having read any of those prior stories. This is a new series about a new character, and it'll be comprehensible even to folks who've never read <i>anything</i> about Doctor Fate before.”
Fans of the good Doctor may recall <b>Helmut of Fate</b> was supposed to have led into the launch of the new Doctor Fate</b> ongoing series helmed by Gerber. The writer explained to Newsarama why that series didn’t happen and it was rethought into this new format…
“It happened primarily because of my health,” he said. “I'll spare you the details, unless you really want to know. (I've discussed them on my blog - www.stevegerber.com/sgblog - for anyone who's interested.) The bottom line is that I've been slow in turning out scripts, because my energy levels haven't exactly been at their peak. Limiting the series to eight issues and reducing the page count for <b>Doctor Fate</b> after the third issue was one way of coping with the situation. My hope is that the book will do well enough that, once I'm in better shape, we can either continue the dual-feature title or spin Doctor Fate off into his own ongoing series.”
As to the “shared” format of the title, Gerber for one is a fan…
Said the writer, “Personally, I'm very pleased. I like the dual-feature format, and I've always liked the Eclipso character, both its original incarnation and the new, more twisted version. I think the two series will complement each other well. “
[<i>continued</i>...]
<center><a href=http://www.gamealmighty.com target=new><img src=http://www.newsarama.com/heroes_philly07/sponsor/gamealmighty_1.gif border=0 vspace=5></a>
<blockquote><i>Newsarama's coverage of the 2007 Heroes Con & Wizardworld: Philadelphia</b> is brought to you by <a href=http://www.gamealmighty.com target=new><b>GameAlmighty.com</b></a> - "Truth, Justice, and Videogames by the only website run by superheroes"</i>...</blockquote></center>
And as for Sturges’<b>Eclipso</b> feature…
“This story focuses on Eclipso, who still inhabits the body of Jean Loring,” explained the writer. “I guess Eclipso's enjoyed exploring his feminine side. She's returned to Earth, after being hurled into orbit around the Sun at the end of <b>Day of Vengeance</b>. Only this time, she's working at the behest of a new - I suppose "benefactor" would be the best word - and she's serving his agenda as well as her own. I've got some good heroes to work with, including one or two that we haven't seen around in a while. And another of the main characters is a dead Englishman with a giant hole in his chest, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Like Gerber, Sturges is keen on “sharing” a title with another character and another writer, with emphasis on the latter…
“I think it's a fine idea,” He said, “though I'm obviously getting the long end of the stick here, since Steve's a lot better known than I am. But I think it's a good idea on its own merits, since you get two different stories that are in the same ballpark; if you like one, then hopefully there's a good chance you'll like the other.”
Both writers say their stories can be understood and enjoyed without having to read <b>Countdown</b> proper. And while the Doctor Fate story won’t directly intersect with the main series, the Eclipso feature seems to have a somewhat a more direct tie.
“Eclipso sets some things in motion that will ultimately be resolved in <b>Countdown</b>, as I understand it,” said Sturges, “but it's a fairly self-contained story other than that.”