MichaelDoran
11-10-2002, 01:27 PM
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/RRP/SMBIRTHRIGHT.jpg" target="_blank"><img width="175" height="270" align="right" src="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/RRP/SMBIRTHRIGHT_t.jpg" border="0" alt="SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT by Leinil Yu"></a>Originally published July 2002:
Writer Mark Waid has never made any bones about this love for Superman, and now after years as a comic book editor, then freelance writer, then creator-owned publisher, then staff writer and now again a freelance writer, he’ll get a year to express his affection on paper in the tentatively titled Superman: Birthright, as 12-issue maxi-series drawn by Leinil Francis Yu that Waid calls a new “very Siegel-and-Shuster-friendly look at the origins of the Superman.”
“It’s a very conscious attempt to assemble in one linear series or volume the ‘Legend of the Man of Steel’, from Krypton through his first big, big adventure, the one that makes him known to everyone on Earth,” Waid explained to Newsarama, “the kind of thing you can hand kids from Baltimore to Botswana from now on when they ask who Superman is.”
“That said - and readers will just have to trust me on this until some of Leinil's sketches begin appearing - this isn't a ‘retro’ project in any way, shape or form. As will become clear in the months to come, as paradoxical as this sounds right now, we're looking forward, not back.”
By “very Siegel-and-Shuster-friendly”, Waid means he’s planning to honor the original spirit of the Superman, “…hewing very closely to the basic character concepts as envisioned by Superman's creators - a champion of the weak and oppressed, a social crusader - and, without ever taking away from him that he's the best of the good guys, maybe a little less of a boy scout.”
Asked to explain more about assembling the legend of Superman’s origins in one single volume, Waid said he doesn’t necessary mean the “legend” as it stands now is somehow piecemeal, or full of ill-fitting parts…
“'Piecemeal’ isn't the best term,” he said. “It's just that we tend to get ourselves with any long-running character that this or that is the ‘right’ version, accept no substitutes, and the wonder and magic of these guys is that they're stronger than that, more mythic.
“Who is the ‘real’ Batman? The current DC version? Sure, you can make a strong case for that. But what about the WB animated Batman? He's known worldwide by far more people than buy his comic every month. Or take Spider-Man? Was his first love Mary Jane Watson? About $400 million worth of ticket-buyers would say ‘yes’.
”As long as the spirit of the character endures - as long as any story is told with love and respect for the character, as long as his basic concept hews true - how do details like that really matter? Did Superman land on Earth as an embryo (Man of Steel) or an infant (Superman: The Movie) or a toddler (Smallville)? What's Santa Claus's real name, Kris Kringle or Pere Noel?
”On a related note, this story isn't about ‘ill-fitting parts’. This isn't something that's supposed to ‘reconcile continuity glitches’.
“Bleah,” said Waid.
Wanting to make sure we got this part right, we asked Waid if the project’s intent is to create a definitive origin and history for Superman’s life before his first adventure (meaning this will be for now on considered the Superman canon)? Or if he’s suggesting it doesn’t matter which “arrived on Earth" scenario (for example) is the "true" one?
”More the latter,” Waid responded. “What ‘becomes’ the accepted Superman canon is beyond anyone's control. It's what the general public decides it is. Which is kind of my point - that, ultimately, it's more up to the readers than to the writers what to accept and what to reject. All we can do is interpret the legend in as exciting, modern and dynamic a way as we can envision - the rest is out of our control.”
The origin of the project stems from Waid’s acquaintance with relatively new DC VP Dan Didio, who Waid met during the “cool but ultimately ill-fated” Gatecrasher-into-animation foray.
“Dan’s long known - as has most of Earth's carbon-based lifeforms - of my deep love for Superman, and I'm flattered to say that one of the first calls he made on his new job was to me, pitching the opportunity to tackle a Superman project of this magnitude and scope,” said the writer. “I was dumbstruck, but once he convinced me it was a real invitation and not a prank, we spent most all of MegaCon 2002 discussing and refining it.”
Waid said while their ambitious hope is every comic book fan on the planet will be buying it, it's actually specifically written for non-comic book readers, because in his words, “It stands alone and is a story unto itself.”
“In other words, we won't be actively denying the DC Universe and all its wonders, but you won't be seeing Batman or Krypto or the Justice League popping up. Structurally, this is Superman: The Television mini-series. This is purePure Superman."
That description is particularly appropriate as Waid said Smallville was very inspirational and that he was very happy to see people warm not to the costume but the guy inside it.
“The closest we've had thus far to a ‘Superman: Year One’ type project is the wonderful Superman For All Seasons, but by its nature and scope, it didn't touch on Krypton, on some of the other major villains, on kryptonite, or on many of the other elements of the Superman canon that make up a legend known the world over.
“Also, the length of this project gives us the chance to get to spotlight the supporting cast in turn so we can know everyone a little better … Wait until you find out what we learn about Ma Kent that we never knew before; that one actually gets a big, big smile from those few I've yet shared it with.”
Speaking of the afore-mentioned Superman For All Seasons and Byrne’s Man of Steel and other projects like Byrne’s Spider-Man: Chapter One, we asked Waid his response when those comparisons are inevitably made by fans…
“Yeah, well, they wouldn't be quite accurate,” he said. “That's really all I can say at this point. As the Magic Eight-Ball says, ‘Ask again later’.
You can bet we will…
<a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000039>CLICK HERE</a> to return to the main menu to read about more of DC’s upcoming projects.
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Writer Mark Waid has never made any bones about this love for Superman, and now after years as a comic book editor, then freelance writer, then creator-owned publisher, then staff writer and now again a freelance writer, he’ll get a year to express his affection on paper in the tentatively titled Superman: Birthright, as 12-issue maxi-series drawn by Leinil Francis Yu that Waid calls a new “very Siegel-and-Shuster-friendly look at the origins of the Superman.”
“It’s a very conscious attempt to assemble in one linear series or volume the ‘Legend of the Man of Steel’, from Krypton through his first big, big adventure, the one that makes him known to everyone on Earth,” Waid explained to Newsarama, “the kind of thing you can hand kids from Baltimore to Botswana from now on when they ask who Superman is.”
“That said - and readers will just have to trust me on this until some of Leinil's sketches begin appearing - this isn't a ‘retro’ project in any way, shape or form. As will become clear in the months to come, as paradoxical as this sounds right now, we're looking forward, not back.”
By “very Siegel-and-Shuster-friendly”, Waid means he’s planning to honor the original spirit of the Superman, “…hewing very closely to the basic character concepts as envisioned by Superman's creators - a champion of the weak and oppressed, a social crusader - and, without ever taking away from him that he's the best of the good guys, maybe a little less of a boy scout.”
Asked to explain more about assembling the legend of Superman’s origins in one single volume, Waid said he doesn’t necessary mean the “legend” as it stands now is somehow piecemeal, or full of ill-fitting parts…
“'Piecemeal’ isn't the best term,” he said. “It's just that we tend to get ourselves with any long-running character that this or that is the ‘right’ version, accept no substitutes, and the wonder and magic of these guys is that they're stronger than that, more mythic.
“Who is the ‘real’ Batman? The current DC version? Sure, you can make a strong case for that. But what about the WB animated Batman? He's known worldwide by far more people than buy his comic every month. Or take Spider-Man? Was his first love Mary Jane Watson? About $400 million worth of ticket-buyers would say ‘yes’.
”As long as the spirit of the character endures - as long as any story is told with love and respect for the character, as long as his basic concept hews true - how do details like that really matter? Did Superman land on Earth as an embryo (Man of Steel) or an infant (Superman: The Movie) or a toddler (Smallville)? What's Santa Claus's real name, Kris Kringle or Pere Noel?
”On a related note, this story isn't about ‘ill-fitting parts’. This isn't something that's supposed to ‘reconcile continuity glitches’.
“Bleah,” said Waid.
Wanting to make sure we got this part right, we asked Waid if the project’s intent is to create a definitive origin and history for Superman’s life before his first adventure (meaning this will be for now on considered the Superman canon)? Or if he’s suggesting it doesn’t matter which “arrived on Earth" scenario (for example) is the "true" one?
”More the latter,” Waid responded. “What ‘becomes’ the accepted Superman canon is beyond anyone's control. It's what the general public decides it is. Which is kind of my point - that, ultimately, it's more up to the readers than to the writers what to accept and what to reject. All we can do is interpret the legend in as exciting, modern and dynamic a way as we can envision - the rest is out of our control.”
The origin of the project stems from Waid’s acquaintance with relatively new DC VP Dan Didio, who Waid met during the “cool but ultimately ill-fated” Gatecrasher-into-animation foray.
“Dan’s long known - as has most of Earth's carbon-based lifeforms - of my deep love for Superman, and I'm flattered to say that one of the first calls he made on his new job was to me, pitching the opportunity to tackle a Superman project of this magnitude and scope,” said the writer. “I was dumbstruck, but once he convinced me it was a real invitation and not a prank, we spent most all of MegaCon 2002 discussing and refining it.”
Waid said while their ambitious hope is every comic book fan on the planet will be buying it, it's actually specifically written for non-comic book readers, because in his words, “It stands alone and is a story unto itself.”
“In other words, we won't be actively denying the DC Universe and all its wonders, but you won't be seeing Batman or Krypto or the Justice League popping up. Structurally, this is Superman: The Television mini-series. This is purePure Superman."
That description is particularly appropriate as Waid said Smallville was very inspirational and that he was very happy to see people warm not to the costume but the guy inside it.
“The closest we've had thus far to a ‘Superman: Year One’ type project is the wonderful Superman For All Seasons, but by its nature and scope, it didn't touch on Krypton, on some of the other major villains, on kryptonite, or on many of the other elements of the Superman canon that make up a legend known the world over.
“Also, the length of this project gives us the chance to get to spotlight the supporting cast in turn so we can know everyone a little better … Wait until you find out what we learn about Ma Kent that we never knew before; that one actually gets a big, big smile from those few I've yet shared it with.”
Speaking of the afore-mentioned Superman For All Seasons and Byrne’s Man of Steel and other projects like Byrne’s Spider-Man: Chapter One, we asked Waid his response when those comparisons are inevitably made by fans…
“Yeah, well, they wouldn't be quite accurate,” he said. “That's really all I can say at this point. As the Magic Eight-Ball says, ‘Ask again later’.
You can bet we will…
<a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000039>CLICK HERE</a> to return to the main menu to read about more of DC’s upcoming projects.
Got something to say about this? <a href=http://classic.newsarama.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=agree>CLICK HERE</a> to register and join one of comics' most active online communities. Registration is fast and easy. </font>