CATCHING UP WITH ALEX ROSS ON SUPERPOWERS

**MattBrady** · 08-13-2007, 05:17 PM

About a month ago, Newsarama brought you the first word of SUPERPOWERS, a new project by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger at Dynamite Entertainment.

The promotional images released at the time suggest a possible line of chartacters, all based on, or redesigned versions of Golden Age characters which have since fallen into the Public Domain.

Ross and Krueger told us a bit about the project last month, and with all the news about Ross and Krueger’s other project – that would be something with Captain America at Marvel – we figured we might want to catch up on the status of SUPERPOWERS as well while we had him on the horn.

So we did.

Newsarama: So Alex – been a little while since we talked about it, but how are things going along with SUPERPOWERS?

Alex Ross: We’ve got the first issue scripted, and is going to be drawn soon, and I’m contributing artwork for the inside as well as other are collectively working on this. Steve Sadowski is part of this project as well, and part of our launch on this.

But yeah – we’ve been talking about this project for close to three years, and it’s a very long time in coming. So as we’ve been planning a release for this, we’ve had the Captain America project come together at the same time, which is just really a coincidence, but a happy one, that we’re all working on a wide range of really great stuff.

NRAMA: There’s certainly plenty of projects coming from the Alex Ross camp…

AR: Well, as things go, this is something Nick [Barrucci, Dynamite Entertainment] wanted to start long before we were done with Justice, but delays held up that really being attended to, and then once I was fully done with Justice, I could put my time and attention into the whole project.

NRAMA: Backing up – you said that you were contributing art to the inside of #1 – in what way?

AR: There are some paintings of the heroes that will appear inside the book.

NRAMA: When we initially talked about this, you mentioned that part of the appeal was that the characters you’ll be using here are established, but at the same time, blank slates in a way, in that the characters, when viewed as a whole, have very little history to consider, and not that many fans around who remember any of it…

AR: Many of these characters from the ‘40s ceased publication mid-‘40s, before the end of the war. They didn’t make it very far in most cases, so a lot of this stuff, you can kind of come in and say, as others have done as well – “Here’s the fate of such-and-such a character that shone very brightly for a period in history.” Much of the way we know these characters, in fact, is through history books that have reprinted images of the characters. So while we may be able to identify them visually, in many cases, we don’t know their stories or everything about them, as if their storylines were this chronicled things where every point in their evolution mattered. Stories weren’t told the same way back then as they are now.

NRAMA: So when looking back at their histories, it’s a matter of trying to connect bits and pieces, not arcs and storylines…

AR: Right. If you can learn the origin of the character, you pretty much know the bulk of what there is to know. That’s not entirely true across the entire line, but that’s what’s easiest to wrap your brain around when you’re thinking of how much material there is out there for these characters. For me, much of my understanding is visual, so when I get a look at something, I get a feel for the material and the quality of the character. So I’ve been studying a number of the covers that feature these old characters, and looking at whatever material we can find access to.

NRAMA: For me, that seems to be the most difficult part – to take that ‘40s era material, done in that style, and shown in a rather “flat” matter and turn it into a design that would make sense in today’s marketplace and give it more of a rounded and almost 3D look of your style and today’s art…

AR: That seems hard?

NRAMA: I think so, yeah.

AR: Why…?

NRAMA: Well, admittedly, a lot of that is probably coming down to the point that I’m the guy with a keyboard in front of me, and you’ve got canvases around you…

AR: Looking at everybody I’ve worked with, predominantly everyone is unchanged over time. The characters I have the least attachment and least draw to are the ones who’ve been styled in such a way to say that they’re so respondent to the look of modern times and styling. So I go back to pure and simple across the board in most of my interpretations of things, and my graphic style is sort of a learner view of design and detail to get to the heart, graphically of something.

So, to take these old characters that had, in most cases, a very simple design, it comes down to visually sprucing it up or put your own spin on it that would make a new reader look at it now and feel that it was fresh and very modern while not actually throwing out what was already there. Just like my greatest ambition back when I started at Marvel was to take the Human Torch, and instead of drawing an ink outline with a bunch of wavy lines in the center of the body, paint it to look like actual flame. Make it look like a man on fire, no different from what they did with the Fantastic Four movie, and everyone can agree now that the Human Torch is a kickass looking character.

Thing is, none of that is rewriting the past. That’s just interpreting what was indicated with pen and ink. So it’s figuring out how to express what was in the original template for the character. So characters like “The ‘Devil,” which is a retread of a Golden Age character who shares a name that we dare not speak – he had one of the coolest costume design in comics, and spawned countless characters since. Obviously, I think that Spider-Man owes a fair debt to the design of the ___Devil. So you’ve got things that are already pretty damn cool – it’s just a matter of making them seem cool to a modern audience without really redesigning it. I think differently from a lot of other designers where they will just go ahead and start with a brand new costume and add more black or more leather.

I think there’re a million different approaches that can be taken with every costume design.

NRAMA: So far, has anybody been tougher to get your head around than anybody else, or was everybody pretty much easy to grasp in terms of redesign and tweaking?

AR: Actually, working up the exact way that I was going to do the Black Terror proved to be a challenge because I went through a number of different costume variations in approaching that design. That took the most thinking in terms of how to re-do that look but not change it too much – to try and realize who he is, this sort of character that fits a lot of archetypes like a Punisher or a Batman, but in his way, was something of a Superman archetype. If you can imagine Superman with a skull and crossbones on his chest.

NRAMA: Wrapping up – with what you’ve said, is everything on Superpowers on track as far as you see it?

AR: [laughs] As best as we can hope for at this point, yeah.

RoiVampire · 08-13-2007, 05:43 PM

wow, this and The Twelve both coming out soon, both using really old characters that has only a few appearances

weird

magik2381 · 08-13-2007, 05:46 PM

Sadowski, eh? NICE! I hope its more in line with his JSA work rather than his Avengers stuff. Granted, I think that was primarily inker-related.

KaijubotX · 08-13-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoiVampire

wow, this and The Twelve both coming out soon, both using really old characters that has only a few appearances

weird

There's also Image Comics' "The Next Issue Project" which also uses Golden Age public domain characters. Seems like everybody had similar ideas at the same time.

Volunteer · 08-13-2007, 06:12 PM

This also sounds conceptually similar to what Erik Larsen has described as a project in his CBR column. Maybe it's just an idea whose time has come?

SuperWall · 08-13-2007, 06:15 PM

Two projects, one with D.E. and one with Marvel, about which Alex Ross said: "...projects like the Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness crossover and Spider-Man/Red Sonja and things like that that he was working on with Marvel. He’s been trying to do a project like this with me..." and which looks a lot like Invaders.
A crossover with Superpowers and Invaders???

Volunteer · 08-13-2007, 06:24 PM

Also, I forget how copyright law works. I noticed at the bottom of each picture, a statement of trademark and copyright. Does that mean they claim to own that specific image or the characters themselves? My understanding is that these characters are in the public domain and only their interpretation of the character belongs to them. What do the TM And (C) imply?

Blackbeard · 08-13-2007, 06:35 PM

Man... I can't wait to pick this up!

It's the rebirth of the Golden Age. Whee!

Kevin T. Brown · 08-13-2007, 06:39 PM

Ok, I was already buying this.... But upon seeing that Sadowski is on board, I am so there.

bigdaddyhub · 08-13-2007, 06:49 PM

I think I might be more excited about this than the 12 project over in Marvel...gasp...Zombie infection taking over....must break free...

Chris Hunter · 08-13-2007, 06:52 PM

Ok, maybe I missed where it was announced, but who is actually drawing this series?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Comiccub · 08-13-2007, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdaddyhub

I think I might be more excited about this than the 12 project over in Marvel...gasp...Zombie infection taking over....must break free...

I would have to agree that this is the more exciting looking of those 2 projects.

mikesmash · 08-13-2007, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoiVampire

wow, this and The Twelve both coming out soon, both using really old characters that has only a few appearances

weird

These probably both have something to do with the success of Agents of Atlas. Resurrecting old/obscure characters can clearly be done successfully if it's done well.

buff1040 · 08-13-2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaijubotX

There's also Image Comics' "The Next Issue Project" which also uses Golden Age public domain characters. Seems like everybody had similar ideas at the same time.

I'd say that it was everybody having a similar idea at the same time, it was probalby more like somebody having a great idea and word getting out and others jumping on the bandwagon. But no matter how the idea came about, I think it's terrific.

Crusader K · 08-13-2007, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackbeard

Man... I can't wait to pick this up!

It's the rebirth of the Golden Age. Whee!

LOL!

Who IS this? Roy Thomas?

I can't wait either!

cap infinity · 08-13-2007, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volunteer

Also, I forget how copyright law works. I noticed at the bottom of each picture, a statement of trademark and copyright. Does that mean they claim to own that specific image or the characters themselves? My understanding is that these characters are in the public domain and only their interpretation of the character belongs to them. What do the TM And (C) imply?

The characters are still in the public domain (anyone can use them) but any costume changes or story elements that Dynamite adds will now be copyrighted and no one can use those changes without permission.

So basically they own their versions of the characters.

TedKordLives · 08-13-2007, 09:57 PM

I think a lot of it has to do with these characters coming into public domain at the same time, rather than people having similar ideas...

mrhelm · 08-13-2007, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TedKordLives

I think a lot of it has to do with these characters coming into public domain at the same time, rather than people having similar ideas...

Most of these characters have been in the public domain (including most of the old Timely characters Marvel is using) for at least 30 years, if not longer.

MattPetersen · 08-13-2007, 11:34 PM

Not a new concept by any means considering Alan Moore did it a few years back with Tom Strong and Terror Obscura (old Nedor Comic characters) !!
It was a kicking idea then and it will surely kick now!!
I always like it when obscure characters are updated and made relevant and fun again!!!

astronato · 08-13-2007, 11:51 PM

Alex Ross should be running DC comics!

He is money in the bank baby.

Superpowers looks fantastic. I'm sold.

Jeremy Williams · 08-14-2007, 12:09 AM

Great but the new Dr. Terror mask sucks!

BoCelts034 · 08-14-2007, 12:33 AM

I really wish Alex Ross wasn't on this project. This looks really cool, but I can't stand Ross' art. Maybe I'll just have to man up and get past my previous prejudices. Probably not though.

The Holy Cow · 08-14-2007, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikesmash

These probably both have something to do with the success of Agents of Atlas. Resurrecting old/obscure characters can clearly be done successfully if it's done well.

I would have said the success of JSA, Agents of Atlas wasn't such a big commercial success I think (even if it's a good book - I haven't read it yet, but I will).

tanzbaer · 08-14-2007, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cap infinity

The characters are still in the public domain (anyone can use them) but any costume changes or story elements that Dynamite adds will now be copyrighted and no one can use those changes without permission.

So basically they own their versions of the characters.

As does Todd McFarlane the Eclipse version of Black Terror...

Speedball93 · 08-14-2007, 09:45 AM

I am much more interested in this, than the 12. These characters seem to have more life to them than the Marvel ones.