CRISIS COUNSELING FOR IC #5 WITH DAN DIDIO

[MattBrady]

Due to the effects of a relatively hectic convention schedule on both Newsarama and DC Executive Editor Dan Didio, we had to forgo soliciting reader questions for this month’s installment of Crisis Counseling. That said, keep an eye out, because we’ll be blowing this thing up with a double-sized Crisis Counseling with Didio schedule for the date Infinite Crisis #6 hits.

In the meantime, let’s rock and roll as Didio handles questions thrown at him by Newsarama’s Matt Brady.

Newsarama: First off Dan, Infinite Crisis #5 has jumped around a little on the calendar before finally settling in on this week. What happened?

Dan Didio: While the book was originally solicited for the second week of the month, we always knew we had the option of sliding the issue to the last week if we needed more time for production. Which you can clearly see, we did. But the reason why issue #5 is coming out March 1st rests solely on my shoulders.

NRAMA: How so?

Just as the issue was about to ship to the printers, I asked for a couple of last minute changes, which I felt enhanced the emotional impact of certain scenes. Geoff and Phil were great in understanding my concerns and they worked with Eddie Berganza to come up with some excellent fixes in a matter of hours. This meant adding a couple of extra pages to the story… so here we are.

NRAMA: Along with the time shift, Phil hasn’t been the sole artist on the book since issue #3. How related is that the book’s scheduling?

DD: The plan was always to bring in Jerry Ordway to do the Earth 2 sequences and George Perez to do scenes that paid tribute to the original Crisis. Phil is a huge fan of the original series and wanted to make sure they were involved in the sequel. Phil is also a perfectionist and realist, and he has always put the project first. As the schedule got tighter and tighter, he saw that Eddie Berganza needed to move heaven and multiple earths to keep this book on schedule, Phil volunteered to give up pages so that we keep the series on track. Eddie brought in Ivan Reis to help on the middle issues, that way Phil could focus on the final two. There has been a lot of crazy planning and juggling on these books, but everyone involved, from George to Jerry to Phil to Ivan to Geoff to Eddie and all our inkers, have been consummate professionals in their handling of this series.

NRAMA: But still, and not to beat you up too much about this, but how did this happen? It’s not like this was a sudden addition to the DC schedule or Phil’s speed was an unknown…
DD: There is a reason we call this book Infinite Crisis. In any true creative environment, what you plan at the start rarely becomes the final product. This series, not surprisingly, took on a life of its own. And while I consider Phil the ultimate perfectionist, I think Geoff Johns his main challenger for the title. If there is a fourth stage past big, bigger, biggest, that’s were Geoff wants this story to be. With each script he continues to up the ante in regards to scope and characters involved. But each change and addition takes time to research and reference for design and coloring, and this is one of the places where the editorial team of Eddie and assistant editor, Jeanine Schaefer are working overtime.

This series has one of the greatest pedigrees in comics to live up to. Everyone involved in this production understands that and will settle for being nothing less than the very best.

NRAMA: Fair enough. Moving on to some topics raised by issue #4 – first off, the destruction of Bludhaven. What larger point does that serve in the story? Did the villains’ ante need to be upped by that much?

DD: The destruction of Bludhaven shows the true evil and power of the villains as they begin to take the offensive. When we have an organization of villains set on world domination, I don’t consider that “upping the ante”, I consider it “sending a message.”

NRAMA: Message being, “this is the stage we’re playing on now?”

DD: Exactly.

NRAMA: Also, in the issue, Alex Luthor spilled the entire plan, noting that Superboy pounded on the wall to finally shatter the “heaven” that he had placed them in at the end of the last Crisis. Thumbnail sketch – the pounding of Superboy on, essentially, the “wall” of a universe. What did it do to the DCU?

DD: The true ramifications of the “wall pounding” will be seen in the Infinite Crisis Secret Files. What you will soon discover is that following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the one world we were left with was not completely settled and still subtlety resonated with the echoes of the multiple earths. The pounding on the wall of reality by Superboy sent shock waves throughout the universe, slightly shifting timelines and history of those characters that were most affected by the original Crisis.

For fans out there who’ve been wondering, or in some cases yelling, these “continuity waves” will help explain away the reboots, revamps and continuity inconsistencies since Crisis on Infinite Earths.

NRAMA: Sticking with Superboy - the battle between Superboy and everyone. From your eyes, how did it get out of control, so quickly?

DD: Superboy is a teenager raised in isolation, with raging hormones, a huge chip on shoulder and the powers of a god. He never learned how to keep his powers or emotions in check, so when confronted, the situation escalated and he had no idea on how to defuse it. Think of a situation where you, as a teenager, lost your temper. Now imagine you have the power to crush a planet. Do you think that situation would have ended differently?

NRAMA: Er, you said “is.”

DD: What?

NRAMA: “Superboy is a teenager…” wasn’t he taken off the board in issue #4, making that “is” into a “was?”

DD: Was he?

NRAMA: Rhetorical, or are you asking?

DD: Rhetorical.

NRAMA: Okay – also with that fight, what’s the larger picture the takeaway message from the fight? What purpose does it serve in advancing the story - aside from setting up Headless Pantha as a new character and fun action figure for DC Direct’s 2006 lineup?

DD: This is the moment where Superboy Prime crosses the point of no return and becomes the greatest threat the universe will ever know. Other than that, you will have to just wait and see.

NRAMA: So you did mean is and not was.

DD: Yes I did.

NRAMA: Generally speaking, for the characters that disappeared at the end of Infinite Crisis #4 – does anyone left on earth-1 know where they went?

DD: By the end of #5 they have a better idea on some of them are, but at the beginning, they have no idea. And one appears to be lost forever.

NRAMA: So we’re going to see a response to the heroes’ missing friends in issue #5?

DD: Issue #5 opens with our heroes in church. This scene was much discussed in our office and was prompted by a conversation with Paul Levitz. At one of our darkest moments, our heroes are exhausted and confused, and the devastation they experienced has filled them with despair. But rather than sink deeper, they take a moment to reflect, spiritually, and refocus their purpose and conviction.

NRAMA: In line with looking at what’s coming, when do we get the motive behind Alex Luthor’s madness? He’s single-minded on his quest for a “perfect” earth. Why?

DD: He’s a Luthor and Luthors are always right. Or at least, they think they are.

NRAMA: Still – all people have flaws. Any hints as to what Alex didn’t take into account in his master plan?

DD: Alex thinks this earth is wrong and wants to fix it, but he didn’t take into account the fatal flaw of all Luthors, the strength and conviction of Superman.

NRAMA: Just for the sake of absolute clarification – Doom Patrol. Specifically Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol. Given it’s appearance in Teen Titans #31 – in continuity, or out? And then how does that now work with John Byrne’s Doom Patrol?
DD: All Doom Patrols are in continuity.

NRAMA: All?

DD: All of them. And some of the shifts have been explained away with the “Continuity Wave.” See, its working already.

NRAMA: So then, John Byrne’s Doom Patrol series was started with this in mind? That is, the unexplained re-appearance of the Doom Patrol in the present day was done so with Infinite Crisis and how it would realign it in mind?

DD: Right.

NRAMA: But DC and Byrne took a tremendous amount of heat for the Patrol’s return without mention of their past…in the end, was it worth it?
DD: Absolutely, you cannot publish a large line of comics with out taking some risks and if it had worked better, we would have been having a different conversation. As you’ll soon see with some of the new series planned, we will continue to add a level of risk in everything we do.

NRAMA: That said, DCU continuity is filled with other continuity…alternatives. Can you give a hint at which ones will be addressed in the remaining issues of Crisis, and elsewhere? For instance, Superman has one, two, or three different origin stories (not to mention versions of Krypton) depending on which one you look at…will the Birthright/Man of Steel question be clarified by the end of Infinite Crisis?

DD: In Crisis #6, you’ll get a hint of some of the changes that have been made in continuity. There are momentary flashes that will reflect points in Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman’s lives that we show revisions to key moments in their lives. This will be the continuity and story from this point forward.

NRAMA: Still, some “fixes” stemming from Crisis are legitimate continuity issues – things that could have caused larger problems if they were allowed to continue. But something like the larger Doom Patrol history meshing with Grant’s version seems almost…well; indulgent is too strong of a word, but points in the right direction. Who or what was the watchdog for legitimate character development, and story/plot flow versus creator, or even editorial wish fulfillment?

DD: Me.

NRAMA: In that sense then, were you taking requests for fixes that could stem from Crisis? Say, an editor wanted a tweak in a character’s history to make things work just a touch smoother?

DD: Absolutely, all editors and writers are involved is setting character directions and establishing their histories following the One Year Later.

NRAMA: Will there be some kind of comprehensive list of the changes that have been made, or will they gradually unspool through stories coming up?

DD: The back ups to 52 will help re-establish the history of the DC Universe and present two page origins of some of our most popular characters. But you will also be seeing the characters’ stories unfold in their regular series too.

NRAMA: A quick one on the Jim Lee cover to issue #5 – two Wonder Women. Who’s the second one?

DD: That’s what Wonder Woman would like to know as well, although I think some people already can figure it out.

NRAMA: Finally, to wrap this abbreviated session up, now that we’re close to the end of Crisis, the question of how the Legion would be connected – if at all – to Crisis has been dogging you since the first Crisis Counseling sessions. Can you explain who they are, relative to the Crisis? They’re living in a Post-Crisis world, right? In essence, the Post-Crisis Legion?

DD: That’s a story Mark Waid is waiting for the right moment to tell.

[BlueThunderArmy]

Alright, I'm gonna go pick this up right effing now...

[jedifish]

NRAMA: Okay – also with that fight, what’s the larger picture the takeaway message from the fight? What purpose does it serve in advancing the story - aside from setting up Headless Pantha as a new character and fun action figure for DC Direct’s 2006 lineup?

That should look nice right alongside my headless Harbinger, Earth 2 Robin, Psycho Pirate and Monitor figures.

[Mike R]

An excellent work being done by DC with Infinite Crisis. Very entertaining!!!!

Matt Brady, don't know if you can answer this, hopefully you can: Why aren't you has able to give us readers the 8th DC Editor's Briefing. I, for one, admire Joey Cavalieri's work a lot, and it is a shame you could't give us an input for his upcoming DC books OYL.

Anyway thanks a lot for your great post.

[old doom]

i read #5 and the last adv of supes
and my head is swimming

apparently this feeling of disorientation will be alleviated by 52

after all

they're just comic books...

[RockLeefan]

This has been one of the best comic series i've read in years, possibly the most enjoyable of all in my 12 years of US comic reading. The hints dropped here just make me more eager to get my hands on the rest of the series. Curse the delays!!!
Keeping delays in mind does this mean that the one year later titles and 52 are going to start before the end of Infinite Crisis? I mean there are bound to be some huge spoilers if that does occur and the last thing i want to happen is for the ending to be ruined.

[cncoyle]

Originally posted by jedifish
That should look nice right alongside my headless Harbinger, Earth 2 Robin, Psycho Pirate and Monitor figures.

Oh, yeah, wait until I start Pantha Head Attachment Reconciliation Team!

It may take 10 years and Alex Ross, but DC will cave!!!

[cncoyle]

I've really got to work on my LCS getting comics out before lunch. This waiting until after 5:00 stuff is for the birds...

[Aaron]

Originally posted by MattBrady
NRAMA: So then, John Byrne’s Doom Patrol series was started with this in mind? That is, the unexplained re-appearance of the Doom Patrol in the present day was done so with Infinite Crisis and how it would realign it in mind?

DD: Right.

That smells like utter and complete BS right there. I have absolutely no doubt that if Byrne's DP took off as a roaring success, we'd never have had a single mention of any other DP ever again. Even in Beast Boys and Girls, Geoff bent over backwards telling a DP-less origin for Garfield. It's quite obvious that the intention, at least for a while, was that Byrne's DP was the *only* DP.

Since the book failed miserably, it's easy to say it was planned all along, but come on... if they had dangled the carrot out there that maybe, just MAYBE the old DP's weren't gone for good, the book would have at LEAST had that going for it... and that book needed everything it could going for it.

Nah, not buying it. Regardless, thank GOD they fixed it.

Aaron

[fistofkhonshu]

Originally posted by MattBrady
[BNRAMA: Finally, to wrap this abbreviated session up, now that we’re close to the end of Crisis, the question of how the Legion would be connected – if at all – to Crisis has been dogging you since the first Crisis Counseling sessions. Can you explain who they are, relative to the Crisis? They’re living in a Post-Crisis world, right? In essence, the Post-Crisis Legion?

DD: That’s a story Mark Waid is waiting for the right moment to tell. [/b]

That's going to be a damn good story...

[algertman]

Originally posted by Aaron
That smells like utter and complete BS right there. I have absolutely no doubt that if Byrne's DP took off as a roaring success, we'd never have had a single mention of any other DP ever again. Even in Beast Boys and Girls, Geoff bent over backwards telling a DP-less origin for Garfield. It's quite obvious that the intention, at least for a while, was that Byrne's DP was the *only* DP.

Since the book failed miserably, it's easy to say it was planned all along, but come on... if they had dangled the carrot out there that maybe, just MAYBE the old DP's weren't gone for good, the book would have at LEAST had that going for it... and that book needed everything it could going for it.

Nah, not buying it. Regardless, thank GOD they fixed it.

Aaron

completly agree

[jedifish]

Originally posted by cncoyle
Oh, yeah, wait until I start Pantha Head Attachment Reconciliation Team!

It may take 10 years and Alex Ross, but DC will cave!!!

My 3 and 5 yr old girls wanted to play with the headless action figures the other day. Not sure if I should be worried or not.

After last night, I think I could include them in the PHART movement.

[WayneHall]

Why do I keep hearing the theme from "Superman: The Animated Series" while I'm reading this book? Great read!

[samnoir]

It would be interesting to hear what Byrne's plans for Doom Patrol would have been if the book had not been cancelled.

I really hope that Geoff Johns tackles some of the tougher issues of Doom Patrol history in the DCU that were left hanging when the title went off to Vertigo.

For me the biggest implication of Grant Morrison's final issue that was never addressed by Beast Boy/Changeling was the fact that Niles Caulder was releaved to be the person behind the accidents that created the Doom Patrol This also puts into question whether or not he had a hand in the accident that created Beast Boy, particularly given all the examinations and experiments that Caulder performed on Garfield Logan as a kid.

The other big thing is, given the fact the Caulder could have saved Rita Farr (as he had saved himself, Larry Trainor and Ciff Steele) and chose not to, this would bring in a huge conflict with Beast Boy (not to mention his insanse stepfather Mento).

________________________________

WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF COMICS for sale on EBAY! NEIL GAIMAN. KURT BUSIEK. DAVE GIBBONS.

MICHAEL TURNER SIGNED COMIC BOOKS for sale on EBAY! RARE VARIANT COVERS!

[R.C. Collins]

NRAMA: Still, some “fixes” stemming from Crisis are legitimate continuity issues – things that could have caused larger problems if they were allowed to continue. But something like the larger Doom Patrol history meshing with Grant’s version seems almost…well; indulgent is too strong of a word, but points in the right direction. Who or what was the watchdog for legitimate character development, and story/plot flow versus creator, or even editorial wish fulfillment?

DD: Me.

That was a pimp slap answer!

[Franklin Harris]

In Crisis #6, you’ll get a hint of some of the changes that have been made in continuity. There are momentary flashes that will reflect points in Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman’s lives that we show revisions to key moments in their lives. This will be the continuity and story from this point forward.

Until the next Infinite Crisis Through Multiple Hypertimes.

So, I'm to take it that Hypertime was just Superboy-Prime punching Reality in the groin?

[samnoir]

Originally posted by Aaron
That smells like utter and complete BS right there. I have absolutely no doubt that if Byrne's DP took off as a roaring success, we'd never have had a single mention of any other DP ever again. Even in Beast Boys and Girls, Geoff bent over backwards telling a DP-less origin for Garfield. It's quite obvious that the intention, at least for a while, was that Byrne's DP was the *only* DP.

Since the book failed miserably, it's easy to say it was planned all along, but come on... if they had dangled the carrot out there that maybe, just MAYBE the old DP's weren't gone for good, the book would have at LEAST had that going for it... and that book needed everything it could going for it.

Nah, not buying it. Regardless, thank GOD they fixed it.

Aaron

I really don't think this is necessarily the case, otherwise why would DC be bringing Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol back into print via trades?

I'm sure it was a kind of Crisis stunt that would have played out differently if Doom Patrol had not been cancelled. Keeping some of Morrison's run while retconning others.

________________________________

WRITER'S GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF COMICS for sale on EBAY! NEIL GAIMAN. KURT BUSIEK. DAVE GIBBONS.

MICHAEL TURNER SIGNED COMIC BOOKS for sale on EBAY! RARE VARIANT COVERS!

[Franklin Harris]

NRAMA: Still, some “fixes” stemming from Crisis are legitimate continuity issues – things that could have caused larger problems if they were allowed to continue. But something like the larger Doom Patrol history meshing with Grant’s version seems almost…well; indulgent is too strong of a word, but points in the right direction. Who or what was the watchdog for legitimate character development, and story/plot flow versus creator, or even editorial wish fulfillment?

DD: Me.

Who watches the Watchman?

[Franklin Harris]

Originally posted by samnoir
I really don't think this is necessarily the case, otherwise why would DC be bringing Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol back into print via trades?[/url]

To make money?

[R.C. Collins]

Originally posted by Franklin Harris
Who watches the Watchman?

The boss.

[sol]

Originally posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: In line with looking at what’s coming, when do we get the motive behind Alex Luthor’s madness? He’s single-minded on his quest for a “perfect” earth. Why?

DD: He’s a Luthor and Luthors are always right. Or at least, they think they are.

NRAMA: Still – all people have flaws. Any hints as to what Alex didn’t take into account in his master plan?

DD: Alex thinks this earth is wrong and wants to fix it, but he didn’t take into account the fatal flaw of all Luthors, the strength and conviction of Superman.

Hmm....but which Superman....Superman or Superman of Earth-2...or both??

I beginning to think Kal-L is going to end up being the one wrecking Alex Luthor's plan, perhaps as a heroic sacrifice kind of deal.

[jedifish]

Originally posted by samnoir
I really don't think this is necessarily the case, otherwise why would DC be bringing Grant Morrison's run on Doom Patrol back into print via trades?

I'm sure it was a kind of Crisis stunt that would have played out differently if Doom Patrol had not been cancelled. Keeping some of Morrison's run while retconning others.

To make money and to make Grant happy with royalties after bringing him back from Marvel. Haven't his trades been coming out since the new Doom Patrol started, or right around that Point? Sales on the first one must have done well, which is why there have been subsequent volumes.

[Punchy]

'Continuity Wave'

The new Warped prism?

[PreCrisisDC]

I for one CANNOT wait for the 1). New Doom Patrol--I can buy the Byrne's run needed to be told so we can fix everything--I can really buy that. 2). Absolute Infinite Crisis--should be sweet!!!

[xdemon]

"Continuity Wave"

Read Batman Annual #25 to see one of its effects...