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03-19-2005, 01:10 PM
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UPDATED: WIZARDWORLD LA: SUPERMAN PANEL
 DC Comics kicked off their Wizardworld LA programming weekend with the first major comic book panel of the con day, an hour-long presentation/Q&A, Superman: Beyond the Man of Tomorrow. Panelists included DC VP – Executive Dan Didio, Superman Group Editor Eddie Berganza, and Superman writers Gail (Action Comics) Simone, Greg (Adventures of Superman) Rucka, Grant (All-Star Superman) Morrison, Jeph (Superman/Batman Loeb, Mark (Superman) Verheiden and Adventures artist Karl Kerschl. Here are some of the highlights… The panel began by going around the room with the writers talking about what was coming up in each title. - In Adventures of Superman, the big upcoming storyline is the unmasking of the villain Ruin. His identity will lead to complications that will have a ripple effect throughout the DCU. Also, Lois finds out who shot her, which will also have ramifications for the DCU at large. - Over in Superman/Batman, Jeph Loeb said Carlos Pacheco’s issues are finished, and tie up the “Absolute Power” storyline. Asked if that storyline was an imaginary or “What If” story, Loeb said, “No”, indicating there are implications from that storyline that will actually play out in Adventures. Issue #19 leads into the summer debuting Supergirl series with Ian Churchill. Loeb’s last arc features a take on a government-sponsored team of heroes, which the writer said, “People will find to be "Marvelous”. Loeb added that by the end of his run with issue #25, he will have tied up questions surrounding where Lex Luthor is and who is the Superman from the future that appeared in issue #2. - In Superman, Mark Verheiden plans to pick up where the Brian Azzarello story left off. He wants to bring back the magic and mystery of Superman and his powers, and to look at Superman’s powers very closely, as he feels they are even more amazing than the DCU understands. Superman will also be exploring his “alienness”, how that impacts people on Earth and how they feel about living with an alien among them. Villains appearing in the title will be obscure 70’s villain Blackrock, and Brainaic is returning. - Gail Simone’s first issue of Action Comics features Dr. Polaris being chased by a new villainess with magnetic powers called The Pulse. Simone told fans she wants to concentrate on Lois, to show her to be the kind of women that Superman would fall in love with and spend the rest of his life with. She hopes to get her back to being a strong investigate journalist, moving her out of the shadow of Superman, where the writer thinks Lois can sometimes fall. Asked if artist (and former Superman writer) John Byrne is aiding with the writing of Action, Simone said Byrne has been very supportive and once in a while will have some questions or suggestions, but she is writing the book solo and Byrne is fine with that. - July will start a crossover “mega-story” that will begin in Superman, continue in Action, then in Adventures, and then conclude in Wonder Woman. Brainaic, Darkseid and Ruin will appear. - Talking at length about All-Star Superman, Grant Morrison told fan attendees he wants to do a Superman story that everyone can get behind, remember and understand. Morrison is tying to capture the feel of the animated series, not steeped in a particular continuity. As examples he said in All-Star Lois and Clark are not married and Superman was Superboy in this youth. Morrison explained he’s going to play with the fun elements of the Superman mythos from different eras spanning different continuities, including his own. Solaris the Tyrant Sun from his DC One Million will appear. His idea of the title is that he’s telling the folktales of Superman … the stories highlighting the parts of the Superman mythos people will remember in a hundred or 500 years. But he also wants to find new things in the characters as well. In a pure Morrison moment the writer said he’s wants to look at Lex Luthor and understand him in a different way that make readers understand, “Why Luthor draws Superman’s eyebrows on his own face.” Frank Quitely has started illustrating and Morrison says his work has a Neal Adams quality to it, particularly citing a scene of Superman flying over the surface of the sun in the first issue. Each issue of All-Star will be self-contained. Issue #2 is a Lois story; issue #3 is a Jimmy Olsen story; and #4 will be a Bizarro story. This will be a new take on Bizarro in which anyone who touches Bizarro becomes a Bizarro. Issue #5 will probably be a Superboy story. Morrison described the cover as Superboy and his dog looking down on a gravestone saying, “My father is dead and it’s all my fault”, a clear homage to the Silver Age. All-Star Superman will be a 12 issue run, at least in regards to Morrison teaming with Quitely. The writer said 12 issues are all Quitely can handle before his head explodes. Those 12 issues will tell their whole story, but Morrison added he’d like to do more and has come up with another 8 stories already. Asked by Berganza if the Legion of Superheroes will show up in the title, Morrison replied, “Well, now that you mention it.” - On a quick All-Star note, Berganza said All-Star Batman and Robin with Frank Miller and Jim Lee will be more than 6 issues. UPDATED with even more details from this afternoon’s Superman panel… - The first 6 issues of Loeb’s Supergirl series will center on Kara getting to know the other places and people of the DCU. Issue #1 will feature Kara meeting Power Girl which will clear up some issues involving her origin and tie in with Geoff Johns' initial Power Girl story in the new JSA: Classified series. Expects meetings for Kara with the Teen Titans, the Outsiders and the JLA. Loeb said the “rollercoaster ride” tone of the series is similar to Superman/Batman, but kept stressing Kara is very different than Superman. Asked why Kara chose to stay on Themyscira, Loeb responded out of the choices she had – staying with her 29-year old cousin who she thought would be a baby, and the Fortress of Solitude where the dog hates her, Themyscira “sounded like a good deal”. - Loeb was also asked if Linda Lee or any other former Supergirls will show up in this series. He said it’s important to set the ground rules and learn who Kara is at the start of the series. He said he’s a fan of Peter David and what he did with the character, and he may address it sometime in the series, but that for now Supergirl needs to be simplified so that everyone would understand who she is. - On the subject of Superboy, Berganza said the Outsiders/Teen Titans crossover “The Insiders” will clear up the questions about Superboy’s origin .. questions that arose when he learned half of his DNA came from Lex Luthor. Verheiden is also planning on exploring Connor’s relationship with Clark in Superman, in a storyline where they both visit the Kent farm. Asked of Superboy would get a costume, Rucka said Connor would laugh at and reject the idea of wearing a cape and tights and that the jeans and t-shirt look were perfect for him, - Talking about supporting characters, Rucka told fans he was wants to "try to do right by Lana”, and fix the problems surrounding her. - New supporting characters will be introduced in all three regular Superman titles, and again touching the seeming theme of the weekend, fans were promised the three main titles will be more cohesive, and fans will feel like it’s the same Superman in all three titles. - Rucka was asked if there were any plans for a Gotham Central street-level style series for the Superman universe. Rucka said “no”, that the Superman supporting cast already allows for that viewpoint and those types of stories to be told, and there are several in the works. - Asked if Chloe Sullivan from Smallville will make an appearance in the comics, Berganza said he keeps hearing that story, but there is no truth to it. - There are plans to rebuild the Fortress of Solitude. - The writers were asked how often they went on the Internet to see both what people think of their work and to talk to their fans. Rucka said that going on the Internet is one of the worst things you can do as a writer. He argued that writing is a singular craft and if start to listen and take into account everyone’s opinion and point of view you’ll never write your own. Rucka said he’s seen many writers destroy their careers by spending more time online than working on their craft. He did say that online fans are a valid portion of the comic book audience, but that many readers never post on the message boards. Simone not surprisingly had a different take, saying that as she came from the Internet she enjoys interacting online, but she’s able to rein herself from going too far. - Finally, asked about the responsibility of writing Superman, Loeb fielded the question and said it is unlike writing any other character in comics. Said Loeb, “As a comic book writer, sitting down writing ‘Clark Kent Colon’ [Loeb phonetically and literally describes the process of writing dialogue for Clark in a script, as in ‘Clark:’] is a pretty big moment for you as a writer and is something that can’t be recaptured writing ‘Cyclops Colon’ or even ‘Wolverine Colon’.” Realizing his verbal pun, Loeb quickly added while laughing, “Superman’s colon is the only one that really matters.” |
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03-19-2005, 01:18 PM
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#2 |
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What do I expect to hear?
The same stuff we always do. They're be remarks like"It's going to be a great year for Superman fans" and "Superman is the greatest American icon, so we're going to put him back into the limelight". They'll be a few teases but nothing concrete and maybe a mini series announcement. Chances are there will be a lot on All-Star. Oh, and I'm sure they'll be some very lovely preview art. |
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03-19-2005, 04:58 PM
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#3 |
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just to nitpick, shouldn't that be 12:30 local and 3:30 eastern
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03-19-2005, 05:03 PM
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#4 |
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Look, Up in the Sky...
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03-19-2005, 05:04 PM
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#5 | |
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Quote:
No, it's a bird. Crap. |
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03-19-2005, 05:14 PM
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#6 |
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So...
this thread is just to tell us that we can expect some news later. Right? Why didn't you just wait to write the story after the panel?  |
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03-19-2005, 05:19 PM
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#7 | |
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Quote:
Ha! So true. Same stuff, different year. |
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03-19-2005, 05:27 PM
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#8 |
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I don't know what I want from Superman.
I just want great stories to be told, a bit of connectivity, and maybe..just maybe...an "Oh shit" moment or two that will make me proud to say Superman is my favorite hero of all time. |
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03-19-2005, 05:28 PM
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#9 | |
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Quote:
Exactly. |
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03-19-2005, 05:29 PM
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#10 | |
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Quote:
Marxist 64 just had his "oh shit" moment.....  |
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03-19-2005, 05:31 PM
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#11 |
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I expect - "NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME!"
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03-19-2005, 05:34 PM
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#12 | |
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Quote:
Not that kind!!! |
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03-19-2005, 05:46 PM
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#13 | |
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Quote:
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03-19-2005, 06:17 PM
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#14 |
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actually, i don't see them saying "nothing will ever be the same", i see them actually saying stuff like "back to basics".
the All-Star line is the best example. it's not pitched as "Superman like you've never seen him", it's more like "remember when you and your parents and other loved ones ACTUALLY cared about this character and his cast?", with a few twists added for good measure  .i see Superman as the kind of icon you don't mess around with too much. just like Batman. there are different "takes" on them, but essentially they represent a specific set of ideals and dreams. it seems like the people at DC realizing this about their icons, and are set out to remind the rest of us about what makes their characters unique. at the same time Marvel is realizing what was so special about their own stable of characters, and are set out to catch lightning in a bottle again, which seems really cool. in the new Marvel Next line they are trying to capture what made Spider-Man and X-Men click with readers, and infusing a new generation of characters with it. young people with amazing advantages, trying to make a difference in the world, owning up to the responsabilities of being special, and getting home before dinner .what do i expect from DC's Superman panel? nothing less than a sense of relevance, than enthusiasm for a character that means so much for so many children, adults and dreamers on any age. DC seems to be getting a sense of this. many of the endless dialogue in Azarello's "For Tomorrow" point to this exactly (and it's the only reason why i don't regret buying that pointless arc). DC has been "getting it" regarding Superman. and i couldn't be happier. |
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03-19-2005, 06:39 PM
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#15 |
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Sooo...where's the news?
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03-19-2005, 06:59 PM
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#16 |
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I don't want to hear anything about Grant Morrison's book except when it comes out. The only other Superman book I'm interested in is Greg Rucka's. I hear Simone's a good writer, though.
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03-19-2005, 07:09 PM
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#17 |
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whatever, news schmooze....All-Star should Rock, the rest of the franchise...i could give a crap
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03-19-2005, 07:28 PM
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#18 | |||
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Quote:
...or more likely, it's DC's annual game of "this time it's going to be the Year of Superman...oh, yes, last year sucked donkey's balls, but we REALLY mean it THIS YEAR!!!" Quote:
...of course, it took them nearly 12 MONTHS OF PONDEROUS MEANDERING before this overly drawn-out mess of an arc could actually point anywhere.  Quote:
Could've fooled me; Berganza's still the CLUELESS Group Editor, and the Super-books remain as GENERALLY UNREADABLE as they've been for YEARS now. Looks more like this panel group's merely spinning their collective wheels, and waiting for Bryan Singer to come along and save them.  |
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03-19-2005, 07:30 PM
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#19 |
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Instead of rushing this article, how about making it a bit more coherent and do some editing? It was like reading a report from a third grader.
As for the news, I saw two things that concerned me: 1) Already they're doing a crossover with the titles--not to mention they're adding Rucka's Wonder Woman into the mix for good measure. I guess he needs all the help he can get. 2) All-Star Superman now worries me. 12 separate stories. Sounds like there's going to be a lot of wackiness...and cramming. I guess it's good in a way that I can pick & choose which issues interest me. I was ready to pick them all up, but now I'm not that sure. |
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03-19-2005, 07:33 PM
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#20 |
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All-Star Supes
Cool! We need more Solaris in the DC Universe!
Can´t wait! |
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03-19-2005, 07:37 PM
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#21 |
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I'm definitly on for Adventures of Superman, Action Comics, and All-Star Superman. I might check out Superman because Ed Benes is supplying the art.
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03-19-2005, 07:54 PM
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#22 |
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All-Star Superman sounds more awesome with every passing second. I can't wait! And it's exciting to hear that Morrison wants to continue the book beyond 12 issues. Whoo-hoo!
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03-19-2005, 07:58 PM
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#23 | |
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Morrison said:
Quote:
If Marvel lures Waid away from DC with an exclusive contract, we need to get Morrison on the Legion of Superheroes. Grant Morrision + Super Teens + Fantastic Futuristic Whackiness = Pure Gold. |
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03-19-2005, 08:06 PM
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#24 |
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I can't wait for All Star Superman, and I'd also like to say that Greg Rucka is doing some fantastic work on both Adventures of Superman and Wonder Woman.
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03-19-2005, 08:08 PM
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#25 |
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Not much different than most of the stuff we usually hear about Superman creative changes.
I am just really not interested in DC Comics anymore unless Geoff Johns is writing them. |
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