5.2 OR SO QUESTIONS ABOUT 52 #27 WITH MICHAEL SIGLAIN

[MattBrady]

So, where were we left this week in DC’s 52?

Ralph Dibny’s journey through Hell and the realms of magic took an inward turn as he flirted with the Spectre, Jean Loring, and cold, cold revenge (not in that order); we learned that Charlie is not well at all, Batwoman is in some serious danger, and those fans holding out for a Waverider return were very, very happy….and then very, very sad.

As usual, we sat down with 52 editor Michael Siglain to talk about this week’s issue, #27.

Newsarama: We met up with Ralph and Fate early on in the issue, and further along Ralph's path. Can you explain a little more of what Ralph is doing here with Fate? Is he looking to just learn about magic, or learn to use magic?

Michael Siglain: Ralph is a lonely, heartbroken man who will stop at nothing to be reunited with his wife. To that end, he will learn and use magic to achieve his goal. As was seen in week 27, he used magic--in this case, the power of the Spectre--but he did not abuse it. Even in his fragile state, Ralph still has restraint, still has limits, and still knows the difference between right and wrong. That being said, Ralph is clearly on his last straw.

NRAMA: And his goal in all of this - to learn enough to be able to bring Sue back to life? And his conviction that she's still out there - that goes back to the straw-doll Sue, correct?

MS: No, Ralph believes wholeheartedly that his wife was resurrected--even if it was for the briefest of moments (if any of you missed this, it happened way back in week 13). And as you will see in upcoming weeks, Ralph is definitely not alone in his convictions.

NRAMA: Timing-wise, when Ralph and Fate meet up with the Spectre, the last “time” we saw him alone was in Infinite Crisis - back just before he joined with Crispus Allen, and from there on out, they were a couple – even though in issue #6, he was the un-Cris Spectre. So when do Fate and Ralph find him?

MS: In the Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre, it's revealed that the Spectre has give slain police officer Crispus Allen one year to decide whether or not he wants to merge with the Spirit of Vengeance. Obviously Ralph and Fate seek out the Spectre during the time that Crispus is making his decision. And as we all know, Crispus does become the new Spectre. Check out that 3-part series by Will Pfeifer and Cliff Chiang. It's good stuff, and Cliff's art is gorgeous.

NRAMA: Thanks Mr. Pimp-tastic. Okay - the Waverider/Skeets scene this issue was what we saw last issue above the Sivana's experiment?

MS: Didn't I tell you that you'd be seeing this scene soon? Would I lie to you? When Sivana's kids were fooling around with the Suspendium Globe and trying to time travel, they accidental caught a glimpse of one week into the future. Of course, they had no idea what they were looking at the death of one of the Linear Men.

NRAMA: Any hints as to what the deal Waverider was making with the time-travelers?

MS: Absolutely!

NRAMA: …

MS: You'd like me to share it with you, huh? All I can say is that it relates to the missing 52 seconds, and to the overall mystery behind 52. Waverider has seen the future, and it has frightened him. In order to combat upcoming events--and unexpected foes--he convinced some of the other time travelers to aid him in his fight. The only problem is that one of his opponents is also from the future.

NRAMA: Wait - Skeets' shell is made from Waverider's "skin?"

MS: Er, no.

NRAMA: Okay - the Montoya/Question arc was pretty self-explanatory this week, but just to be clear - Charlie is very, very sick, correct? Terminal?

MS: "Charlie is very, very sick..." Once again, nothing gets by you, Matt. Yes, the shocking and sad reveal this week is that Vic is dying of cancer. This is obviously news to Montoya.

Is it terminal? Well, Vic seems to think so. Richard seems to think so. Tot seems to think so. What Montoya thinks – and what she’s willing to do about it – remain to be discovered.

NRAMA: That said, there’ve been guesses that Charlie was training Montoya to take his place as the Question...and now, those guesses are looking pretty good. Is this a case now, editorially, where, even though the audience may know the endpoint, the journey is what's important?

MS: For this one, let’s turn things over to our special guest answerer Greg Rucka…

Greg Rucka: Vic would say – and Richard would agree – that it’s all a journey, and that is the important thing. How it ends, where it ends, or even if it does end…those all remain to be seen. There’s still a ways to go before the Fat Lady sings, here.

MS: Right. In fact, Montoya's story is her journey. This goes back to her very first meeting with Vic, when he asked her "Who are you?" in week 2. Since then--since week 1, really--Montoya has slowly been rediscovering who she is...though she hasn't fully answered Vic's question just yet. Likewise, she's still not sure what her place is in the world. Will she be the Question? Perhaps. Or perhaps this entire experience was never really about her taking on the mantle of the Question. Perhaps this was the story of a broken woman healing herself, thanks to the questionable teachings of a dying man.

NRAMA: And Charlie's cancer - it's from cigarettes, not inhaling questionable (no pun intended) chemicals for years and years to affix the mask to his face and chance his hair color?

MS: That’s how it looks. We know that cigarettes cause cancer. We know that Vic knows a lot about cigarettes, and about how they can cause such cancer (amongst other diseases). If there’s ever been a study done about the long-term effects of repeated inhalation and exposure to Professor Aristotle Rodor’s “binary gas”, neither Vic, nor Tot, have mentioned it.

NRAMA: The other angle on the Montoya/Vic storyline this week – it was idealized, but the image in the Crime Bible - to clarify - that shows Mannheim killing Batwoman? How long until the prophesy comes true?

MS: The prophecy of the Apostle devouring the heart of the daughter of Kane--Kane, and not Cain, which nobody picked up on--is supposed to happen on the "eighteenth day after the calling of the all saints" -- or in other words, 18 days after All Saints Day, which would be November 19th.

If the prophesy is being ready correctly – and if the prophesy is correct – then Kate Kane has roughly a week left to live.

NRAMA: Back to Ralph’s story - if we were to pull out our issues of Identity Crisis #1 - would the furniture and everything else match up from the flashback?

MS: Absolutely. Artist Shawn Moll didn't redecorate. He broke out the trade paperback and got to work. Identity Crisis was such a powerful and important story, and its shockwaves are still being felt throughout the DCU. It mattered that we got it right. It was important to us that we pay attention to the details, and hopefully it'll get a few people to look back at Identity Crisis and see just what a great job Brad, Rags and Bair did with that story. It also shows everyone just how connected the DCU really is.

NRAMA: Finally - what's in Nanda Parbat for Ralph?

MS: In a word: hope. Hope that someday soon--before Ralph falls deeper into his depression--that he can reconnect with his wife. In many ways, Nanda Parbat is his last hope. Think of the characters that Ralph has visited—the types of characters, who they are, and the powers they possess. Now think of the type of people in Nanda Parbat, and then flip through your DCU encyclopedias to see which new-to-52 characters might fit the bill. There's someone out there who may just give Ralph the hope he is looking for.

NRAMA: Fair enough – okay Michael, over to you for the tease of next week’s issue…

MS: All right, gang, we've passed the halfway mark, and things are about to really heat up. Characters will find their situations getting a lot worse before they can get better. Here's just a few of the things you can look forward to:

We've revealed that Evil Skeets--who, at this point, is only missing a goatee--has killed a Linear Man, but what did Waverider really tell him before he died, and who is next on the mad machine's hit list? Here's a hint: he's after more than one person.

We've seen that Batwoman is supposed to die, and that the Question is dying. Will Montoya be able to save either of them?

We've seen Ralph go to Hell and back to reunite with Sue, but just how far is he willing to go, and just what--or who--will he sacrifice in order to be with his wife once more?

Infinity Incorporated is the golden team of Lex Luthor's Everyman project. They will soon take on a new member and then take on an old team. But if Luthor controls a team of superpowered individuals, what will he really use them for?

Starfire, Animal Man and Adam Strange--aided by a bounty hunter who has given up violence--are stranded out in space and are facing off against a woman with the power to destroy galaxies. One of them will not return.

The Rain is coming.

Supernova's true identity will be revealed.

Multiple characters will die.

The truth is out there.

Keep reading, everyone. In fact, here's a preview of next week's issue, just to show you that we mean business:



And Week 29's cover...



See you next week, gang! --Mike

[cncoyle]

Seeing as Deadman is now a Vertigo title and Boston Brand (the real one) is nowhere to be found, could Sue & Ralph become a light-hearted comedic version?
Deadman and Deadwoman?
The Dead Couple?

Eh, it's Friday and I'm bored.

[Scorned1]

OMG. If J.G. Jones doesn't get the Eisner's "cover artist of the year" then I don't know what will.

[skinnyboy23]

Sweet! Is next weeks issue drawn by Drew Johnson? That'd be awesome. I really liked his previous issue.

[bluebird]

Deadman was just in JLoA #1 (sorta), and Boston Brand's grave in #3. That whole Vertigo/DC wall thing is B.S. I think Ralph's looking for Deadman's boss lady, not Boston himself, but who knows?

That is indeed a nice JSA cover. DC MUST reprint the series covers in a 52-page special, without any of the logo/UPC symbol crap mucking 'em up.

[Brenticles]

Originally Posted by bluebird

That is indeed a nice JSA cover. DC MUST reprint the series covers in a 52-page special, without any of the logo/UPC symbol crap mucking 'em up.

Yeah that'd be really nice. DC is really putting out some great artwork and fun stories.

[Squashua]

Egg Fu... Food or Menace? Heh. I'd like to see that on a copy of the Daily Bugle.

Yes, you heard me right.

[TCJohnson]

Anybody else bothered that they are killing off so many characters? Part of what I always liked about DC is the variety of characters, even the lame ones which were fun. Seems DC is shooting itself in the foot.

[Spaz_Monkey]

Issue 29's cover is hauntingly beautiful. Stark, depressing, and artistically perfect.

[Scorned1]

Originally Posted by Brenticles

Yeah that'd be really nice. DC is really putting out some great artwork and fun stories.

dido, that's what trades are for anyway.

[bsmith]

The Question dying of cancer just when heäs finally brought back and on the verge of new popularity. Come on. This really stinks.

If Montoya becomes the Question II I will vomit.

bsmith.

[TCJohnson]

Originally Posted by bsmith

The Question dying of cancer just when heäs finally brought back and on the verge of new popularity. Come on. This really stinks.

Kinda like how they did with Blue Beetle, Booster Gold...

[samnoir]

Montoya makes a great deal of sense as the new Question.

That is a series I would buy if Greg Rucka were writing it.

___________________________________

FANTASTIC FOUR DOOMSDAY VINTAGE PAPERBACK NOVEL for sale on EBAY! VINTAGE 1979. Marv Wolfman and John Buscema.

THE MIGHTY ISIS #1 and #2 for sale on EBAY! VINTAGE 70's comic book. OUT OF PRINT. RARE.
___________________________________

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Scorned1

OMG. If J.G. Jones doesn't get the Eisner's "cover artist of the year" then I don't know what will.

It's a nice cover and I like it (like I always do with all of his covers) but it's not that good, imho.

[caats19]

Originally Posted by cncoyle

Seeing as Deadman is now a Vertigo title and Boston Brand (the real one) is nowhere to be found, could Sue & Ralph become a light-hearted comedic version?
Deadman and Deadwoman?
The Dead Couple?

Eh, it's Friday and I'm bored.

Boston sorta showed up in JLA. his grave anyway. and i went into 52 thinking that most of these characters were going to die. so i'm not surprised at all

[EmeraldGuy32]

best cover so far.

[s*p rules]

I'll really feel sorry for DC if they kill off great characters like the Question and Animal Man. They were both such unique characters and voices in the DCU. Don't want to jump to conclusions yet, but it feels like that is where they are going (and the female Question trick-or-treating on the Halloween cover looks more and more like foreshadowing after the current issue). I've very much enjoyed 52 so far, although I wished things had started "heating up" a little sooner than the half-way point, but the constant killing of familiar character (starting with Sue D.) is grating.

[Stressfactor]

Now I have a little hope for Vic's future...

MS: "Charlie is very, very sick..." Once again, nothing gets by you, Matt. Yes, the shocking and sad reveal this week is that Vic is dying of cancer. This is obviously news to Montoya.

Is it terminal? Well, Vic seems to think so. Richard seems to think so. Tot seems to think so. What Montoya thinks – and what she’s willing to do about it – remain to be discovered.

To me this implies that Monotya IS able to do something about it.

[s*p rules]

Originally Posted by TCJohnson

Anybody else bothered that they are killing off so many characters? Part of what I always liked about DC is the variety of characters, even the lame ones which were fun. Seems DC is shooting itself in the foot.

Absolutely. If (and it's still an "if", but just for discussion sake) they had killed off the Question last year, all those great appearances of his on the JLU cartoon probably wouldn't have happened. What if they had killed off Animal Man before the Morrison run? To quote the Joker, DC needs to "think about the future" with all their properties, not just the one's with the big movie deals.

[s*p rules]

Originally Posted by Stressfactor

Now I have a little hope for Vic's future...

MS: "Charlie is very, very sick..." Once again, nothing gets by you, Matt. Yes, the shocking and sad reveal this week is that Vic is dying of cancer. This is obviously news to Montoya.

Is it terminal? Well, Vic seems to think so. Richard seems to think so. Tot seems to think so. What Montoya thinks – and what she’s willing to do about it – remain to be discovered.

To me this implies that Monotya IS able to do something about it.

You really think Montoya will discover the cure for cancer???

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

I think the entire team behind JLU will raise hell if Vic dies. They all seemed to love him on the dvd. I personally will hold a grudge against DC if they waist another Charlton character.

[Green Llama]

Killing a great character like Vic Sage is just plain STUPID!

[kalorama]

I'd hold off on Sage's eulogy just yet. He's shown (both in 52 and in Cry for Blood) that he's not above jerking someone around in order to motivate them/lead them toward the right path. The fact that he showed no signs of being ill at all until Nanda Parbat makes me think that his "illness" may be part of his ongoing plan to push Montoya to find an answer to the oft-posed (by Sage and Dragon, anyway) question, "Who are you?"

[sexyjesus]

Originally Posted by bsmith

The Question dying of cancer just when heäs finally brought back and on the verge of new popularity. Come on. This really stinks.

If Montoya becomes the Question II I will vomit.

bsmith.

No one was clamoring for series with these characters before 52 started. And if they did come out, people wouldn't buy them. That's the truth, and every one here knows it.

[cncoyle]

NRAMA: Wait - Skeets' shell is made from Waverider's "skin?"

MS: Er, no.

It certainly sounded that way in the book.