SDCC 06: TALKING TO TUCKER ABOUT LEGION

[MattBrady]

JAMES TUCKER TALKS ABOUT LEGION
DCAU CREATOR REPORTS ON THE 30TH CENTURY

An Animated Shorts: Special Edition

by Steve Fritz

It seems there can never be a new DC Animated Universe (DCAU) series without some sort of controversy revolving around it. So why should there NOT be speculation regarding the upcoming (as it’s now being title) Superman & The Legion of Superheroes?

After all, wasn’t it originally supposed to be Supergirl? Wasn’t there even a JLU episode where Big Blue’s #1 cousin actually decided to leave the present for the blond-haired, green-skin man of her dreams?

What about the now almost-ancient Superman episode where three of the Legion’s greatest helped a young Clark Kent combat another supervillain of the future, the original Brainiac? And Hey! Both the Legion and Brainiac were part of the pre-Metropolis Kent’s future, where that particular story was set.

In fact, wasn’t the show’s titling once SuperBOY & The Legion of Superheroes?

This is what we do know. Last Saturday what is still called the Kids WB did a one-minute sneak preview of Legion. It featured Lightning Lad, Brainiac 5 and the YOUNG Superman taking on the Fatal Five. What was interesting about the clip is Lightning Lad telling Big Blue to freeze a monster using his breath…and then telling the Kryptonian how to do it. In other words, Superman didn’t know how to use his freezing breath until Lightning Lad taught him.

Indeed.

Series exec producer and admitted comic book fanatic (he buys his titles every Wednesday along with longtime bud Bruce Timm) James Tucker decided to give us some answers regarding this upcoming Kids WB/CW series, which makes its debut this fall. While he refused to answer any questions about Kal-El, he was otherwise fairly open about the series.

Click here for the full interview...

Newsarama's Comic-Con International '06 Coverage is brought to you by Miramax Films’ RENAISSANCE. In theaters this fall.

[LunarDaydreamer]

VERY excited for this ^_^

[MattZitron]

How come they don't explain the SUPERBOY/MAN thing?

Is this to do with the court case?

[skeletorjr]

I love the character designs. I'm so glad to see Timber Wolf or, as I called him as a kid, Space Wolverine

[CitC]

I prefer the Bruce Timm style art for DC cartoons, but Titans did grow on me and I have ALWAYS been a Legion fan (I would trade longboxes for the legion blue ribbon digests I lost long ago -sigh-)

[cncoyle]

Will Kids WB be shown on the new CW network?

[farwell3d]

Yes it will.

I believe they announced that the block of kids programming will be called The Kids WB on CW, or something very much to that effect.

[swol]

Originally Posted by MattZitron

How come they don't explain the SUPERBOY/MAN thing?

Is this to do with the court case?

More likely it has to do with making this a movie Tie-in to Superman Returns.

I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
Likely it will fall somewhere in between.

[Meteoro7]

I just can't wait .

I hope they show it in Latin American cable as soon as they did with the Teen Titans .

[James Asia]

Brainiac is a robot? With a super stretchy neck? That's ass. Anyways, I hope they use as many Legion members as possible. Why bother doing the Legion if you're just gonna do a few at a time? The defining characteristic of the team is they are a frigging army.

[jrio]

Looks like it's aimed squarely at the 5-8 age group, hence Brainiac as a robot boy.

[Bsubeyond]

So, maybe this takes place before the JLU Legion? I can dig that.

[Michael P]

Originally Posted by Bsubeyond

So, maybe this takes place before the JLU Legion? I can dig that.

Entirely possible. There's no reason the year Kara arrived in has to be at anytime during this series.

[Morocco_Mole]

Originally Posted by Matt Brady

Bouncing Boy is kind of the everyman member of the Legion. He's very down to earth and pragmatic. In a lot of ways he plays Bones to Brainiac 5's McCoy (Star Trek comparison).

Umm...huh? I don't get what he meant here, since the analogy is broken (McCoy is Bones, isn't he?). Anyone wanna take a guess at this?

Bouncing Boy=Bones, Brainiac=Spock?

Maybe?

Otherwise, I look forward to it. For now. If it's more Krypto the Superdog and less JLU, then I'll be disappointed. But I'll watch and find out.

[Kolimar]

I'm a long-time Legion fan and I'm very much looking forward to this but I get the wrong feel from this. I'll have to wait and see, hoping for the best.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Morocco_Mole

Umm...huh? I don't get what he meant here, since the analogy is broken (McCoy is Bones, isn't he?). Anyone wanna take a guess at this?

Bouncing Boy=Bones, Brainiac=Spock?

Maybe?

Yep, that's it.

[Unknown]

I can't watch this show until I get back my beloved Teen Titans.

And don't say it was bad, cause I wouldn't be here if it wasn't foe that show.

[PrimalSlayer]

Maybe because of the big Superboy law suit that was going on a while ago means that they werent able to use the name?

So are they going to try to make this in continuity with the main DCAU? A sort of prequel to STAS-JLU?

But I think that this is yet another out of continuity series for DC which sucks.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Bsubeyond

So, maybe this takes place before the JLU Legion? I can dig that.

Originally Posted by Michael P

Entirely possible. There's no reason the year Kara arrived in has to be at anytime during this series.

Based on everything he said, I'd say it's developed more like an entirely different independent universe/continuity.

[DarkHawkReturns]

That anime style cartoon look is horrible!!!!

Why didn't they go with the JLU look?

[Scavenger]

Originally Posted by Kolimar

Based on everything he said, I'd say it's developed more like an entirely different independent universe/continuity.

I took it as they're really not concidering it that important. Like Titans, they can later on retrofit it into continuity.

[O.J. Flow]

Looks pretty tight to me.
Can't wait to check it out.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by James Asia

Brainiac is a robot? With a super stretchy neck? That's ass. Anyways, I hope they use as many Legion members as possible. Why bother doing the Legion if you're just gonna do a few at a time? The defining characteristic of the team is they are a frigging army.

You can't use all the Legionnaires all the time. JLU is the perfect example of the right way to go: missions with a small number of selected members and occasionally big missions/battles with everyone available.

[ticknart]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

NRAMA: We did a little poll among the staff for main names in the Legion. Will any of the following be there?

Cosmic Boy Chameleon Princess Projectra Mon-El Ultra Boy Colossal Kid/Giant Boy Invisible Boy Karate Kid Shrinking Violet Shadow Lass

JT: Five won't be in the first season, but the rest will. That's all I'm gonna say.

A month or so ago, Wil Wheaton, on his blog, said that he was performing Cosmic Boy, so we know at one of the five appearing in the show.

I think it's too bad Cosmic Boy isn't one of the regular cast members. Not only is he my favorite Legionnaire, but he's one of the founders. The other two founders are in the regular cast, why not him?

[James Asia]

totally agree with you, Ticknart. Cos is just essential. Founder, longtime leader in every incarnation and a true believer in the tenants of the Legion.During the DnA run, he was, without a doubt, the most dedicated member of the team. In the Waid run, he's the only thing holding these very different members together.