2010 Comic Book News Archives
March 14, 2010: DC Nation Panel Coverage from MegaCon - Orlando, Florida
By Jeffrey TaylorIn attendance: Dan Didio, Ethan Van Sciver, Jimmy Palmiotti, Tony Bedard
The theme of the panel discussion was that you can't please everybody all the time.
Dan Didio began by explaining his new role at DC. Their new boss is Diane Nelson while he and Jim Lee are co-publishers. He said, "Everything you like is done by Jim. Everything you don't like is done by me." Geoff Johns is now the Chief Creative Officer, which means he'll be heading up how the comics translate to film, animation, toys and more.
Yesterday, Didio let a few spoilers slip during the DC panel. He explained that it's hard to remember what has been announced and solicited compared to what he's currently editing.
DC Nation's most important announcement concerning Superman is that he might be appearing in his own book soon.
Look for a lot of changes taking place with the Justice League in the coming months.
There was a lot of conversation with the audience concerning Justice League: Cry for Justice, especially about the shocking ending. Rest assured that Green Arrow's controversial decision will be specifically dealt with in the near future. "It's the strength of James Robinson's writing that pulled that off. The fact that you got such a reaction both ways is basically because it's a well written story."
Another question about Cry for Justice noted that the lateness affected the story since James Robinson pushed elements into the plot of his Justice League of America proper. Didio pointed at that some books are going to sit on a shelf for an extended period of time, so the art should remain consistent, even at the expense of lateness. He also noted the lateness of Flash: Rebirth. "In some cases we want to wait to make sure it's the best material and sometimes it's more important to just get the story moving. And those are decisions we battle every day."
About less popular characters being pushed to the forefront, Didio said they are always trying to bring up lower-tier characters to see if new readers will latch onto them. Sometimes they work and that makes the whole exercise worthwhile. Palmiotti explained that readers either embrace the characters or they don't, and Ethan Van Sciver chimed in questioning whether it's the creators' faults or the character's. It was unclear, but I believe he was pointing out that both can affect sales.
Jimmy Palmiotti discussed that his ideas for Powergirl were sparked when Geoff Johns and Amanda Conner worked on her four issue run at the start of JSA Classified. That story gave Powergirl a voice outside of JSA that resonated with him. Ethan Van Sciver added, "I love the whole idea of Jimmy (Palmiotti) and Amanda (Conner) coming out and saying, 'this is our Powergirl movie' and it doesn't have to be some Stan (Lee) and Jack (Kirby) 150 issue run. Just come in there and do your Powergirl epic movie the best you can and then tap dance off the stage."
Didio mentioned that the generational gaps with certain characters can be the DC Universe's great strength and also a weakness. There was much discussion that some readers are turned off by a certain version of The Flash or The Legion of Superheroes, but stressed that if it's a good story, it should remind the reader why he or she loved The Legion or The Flash in the first place. The goal is to find one strong interpretation and build the fan base around that. It alienates some people, but that's not at all the goal. Palmiotti added that he embraces how some creators can take one version and rework it into something fresh and cool.
Tony Bedard added that Geoff Johns's greatest talent is to take several versions of characters and put them together in a solid story.
There will be a Batman Beyond series starting soon. Terry McGuiness will also be making an appearance in Superman/Batman.
An audience member asked how J. Michael Straczynski got his job writing Superman and Wonder Woman. Didio explain that he has always loved Straczynski's work and that the subtlety of storytelling in his run on Brave and the Bold was exceptional. "The emotional impact of doing 22 pages is not an easy task and he does it on a regular basis. Superman, hands down, is his favorite character." Coming out of World of New Krypton and War of the Supermen, DC wanted to spotlight something different about the character. "He has a take on Superman that is basically a 180 degree turn from where the book is right now. It's that dramatic and it's everything true to who Superman is and what people believe him to be."
Jimmy Palmiotti fielded a question concerning how to bring more new readers to comics. He said that a few days ago he was wearing a Green Lantern shirt in a bar and a woman asked him to explain the character to her, which is not an easy task. He went on to stress that the movies coming out make the characters available to new people and some of them might track down an issue to find out more.
Jimmy then explained that Making DC heroes the greatest means needing to do more than just comics. Together all the companies, like Marvel, Image, Dark Horse and independent works raise the consciousness of comics as a whole, which is vital to the entire industry.
I asked about the creative team on Action Comics. It was already announced that David Finch is doing the covers and Pete Woods is on Art, but this was the first time I had heard that Marc Guggenheim is writing it. Captain Atom will return to Action Comics soon and there will be a rotating backup feature.
Didio stated that digital distribution is the future of the industry and that Jim Lee will be working on that. It's a question making sure it can work and they keep the creators in mind. They want to make money, but make it affordable for readers. Palmiotti added that DC has always been the fairest company in awarding their creators and stressed that illegal downloading hurts the industry.
Thanks to the popularity of the Lantern Rings as promotional items, there will be a Legion of Superheroes ring available soon, as well as a Flash ring. I asked if there would be a "Supermen of America" ring like the limited edition ones from the 1940's and someone asked about an Alan Scott/Green Lantern ring, but the answer to both was "no."
Adventure Comics will feature a "Secret Origin" story of the Legion, and they will also have their own title back soon. Although it's in no way Superman related, Batwoman will finally receive her own title as well.
The "Zero" issues are meant to be good jumping on points for readers. Coming up soon are War of the Supermen #0 on Free Comic Book Day, and Brightest Day #0. Also, the final issue of Blackest Night will be oversized and contain a foldout, but the price will remain the same.
Ethan Van Sciver announced that he has something in development with Gail Simone, but it was too early to say more. He'll also be putting out a creator-owned project through the Wildstorm imprint.
Concerning how co-features like the backup stories in Action Comics will be handled in collected formats, Didio explained that if the backup story is integral to the main story, it will be in the collection, but when it's not, it will either be collected separately or not at all.
With very little time left, the panel was asked about the status of Grant Morrison's "Multiverse" project. Didio said that he is moving on it. He's seen the "Earth 2" storyline and that there are a couple of Earth's that haven't been introduced yet. "If we're going to do Elseworlds, this is the way to do it.
As we left, I got a picture with Dan Didio and he asked me where my writeups are published. When I told him The Superman Homepage, he assured me that as a Superman fan, I will appreciate Straczynski's upcoming story in Superman because it gets back to the core of what Superman has always been about.
2010 Comic News
Listed below are all the Comic News items archived for 2010.- January 8, 2010: DC Announces New Who's Who and DC Legacies
- January 11, 2010: Geoff Johns Writes Superboy Into Tiny Titans
- January 13, 2010: Justice League: The Rise and Fall and Beyond
- January 15, 2010: DC Announces DC Universe: Legends Weekly Series
- January 29, 2010: Helen Slater Writes Supergirl #50 Story
- February 4, 2010: Levitz Talks Adventure Comics and Superman/Batman
- February 5, 2010: History of DC Comics Documentary
- February 10, 2010: Superman Comics in May - The 100 Minute War
- February 16, 2010: JMS Talks Superman: Earth One
- February 18, 2010: DC Entertainment Names Executive Management Team
- February 22, 2010: Action Comics #1 Sells for $1 Million
- February 26, 2010: Batman Comic Beats Superman's Selling Price
- February 27, 2010: Comic Auction Conjecture - Superman vs Batman
- March 4, 2010: Justice League - Cry For Justice and Rise & Fall Spoilers
- March 8, 2010: J. Michael Straczynski Writing Superman
- March 11, 2010: Pete Woods and David Finch Join Action Comics
- March 11, 2010: Supergirl Interview with Sterling Gates & Jamal Igle
- March 12, 2010: Robinson and Gates Talk Last Stand of New Krypton
- March 13, 2010: DC Comics Panel Coverage from MegaCon - Orlando, Florida
- March 14, 2010: DC Nation Panel Coverage from MegaCon - Orlando, Florida
- March 16, 2010: ECCC Superman Goes to War Panel Report
- March 19, 2010: Eddy Barrows Joins JMS on Superman
- March 23, 2010: Pete Woods Takes Flight on Action Comics
- March 23, 2010: Gates & Robinson Talk War of the Supermen
- March 28, 2010: Dick Giordano Dies Aged 77
- March 29, 2010: Action Comics #1 Sells for $1.5 Million
- March 31, 2010: Sneak Peek at Superman: Secret Origin #5
- March 31, 2010: Alex Ross Talks Rough Justice
- April 8, 2010: DC Creators Nominated for Eisner Awards
- April 12, 2010: Action Comics - Guggenheim Out, Cornell In
- April 15, 2010: Superman Joins the Search for Batman
- April 20, 2010: Cornell Talks Lex in Action Comics
- April 25, 2010: Free Comic Book Day - War of the Supermen #0 Mini-Review
- April 26, 2010: James Robinson's Plans for JLA
- April 27, 2010: JMS Shoots Down False Superman Comic Rumors
- May 1, 2010: James Robinson 100 Minute War Video Interview
- May 3, 2010: Geoff Johns Talks Superman: Secret Origin
- May 6, 2010: New Supergirl Cover Artist - Amy Reeder
- May 9, 2010: Shane Davis Talks Superman: Earth One
- May 9, 2010: Jamal Igle Talks Supergirl, Superman and More
- May 14, 2010: Superboy Gets His Own Comic Book
- May 18, 2010: Check Out the Variant Cover for Superman #700
- May 18, 2010: Jeff Lemire Discusses the Superboy Comic Book
- May 18, 2010: Len Wein Talks DC Universe: Legacies
- May 18, 2010: DC Comics 75th Anniversary Book
- May 19, 2010: Writers Discuss War of the Supermen
- May 19, 2010: Cary Bates Talks Superman: The Last Family of Krypton
- May 19, 2010: Shane Davis Talks Superman: Earth One
- May 20, 2010: Paul Cornell Talks Lex Luthor in Action Comics
- May 25, 2010: Robinson and Gates Talk War of the Supermen #3
- June 3, 2010: Cary Bates Talks Last Family of Krypton
- June 3, 2010: James Robinson Talks JLA/JSA Crossover
- June 8, 2010: Jamal Igle Talks Bizarro Supergirl
- June 15, 2010: Paul Cornell Talks Action Comics
- June 15, 2010: Jimmy Olsen Co-Feature in Action Comics
- June 17, 2010: Exclusive Supergirl Interview with Sterling Gates
- June 21, 2010: DC Celebrates Superman
- June 21, 2010: Catching Up with DC's Co-Publishers - Didio and Lee
- June 22, 2010: Paul Cornell Signs Exclusive Deal with DC Comics
- June 22, 2010: Jeff Lemire Talks Superman #700 and Superboy
- June 22, 2010: A Quick Look at the History of Superman Comics
- June 23, 2010: DC Comics Goes Digital
- June 23, 2010: Superman Could Be Coming to Your Town
- June 23, 2010: J. Michael Straczynski on Superman #700 and Beyond
- June 23, 2010: Jim Lee and John Rood Talk DC Digital
- June 24, 2010: Bernard Chang Talks Superman #700
- June 24, 2010: Paul Cornell Discusses Action Comics and Lex Luthor
- June 24, 2010: Dan Jurgens Returns to Superman in Issue #700
- June 24, 2010: Sterling Gates Talks Supergirl #53 and Beyond
- June 25, 2010: Jeff Lemire's Flash Forward to Superboy
- June 25, 2010: Sterling Gates Recalls How Superman's Death Affected Him
- June 28, 2010: JMS Talks About Superman's Journey Across America
- June 29, 2010: Paul Cornell Talks Lex Luthor in Action Comics
- July 1, 2010: JMS Talks About Superman Grounded
- July 6, 2010: Jeff Lemire Signs Exclusive Deal With DC Comics
- July 8, 2010: Death Comes to Action Comics
- July 8, 2010: DC Comics Panels at 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
- July 9, 2010: Paul Cornell Talks Action Comics
- July 11, 2010: Live Reading of Action Comics #890
- July 12, 2010: A Look at the Cover to JLA/The 99 #1
- July 14, 2010: Superman's Grounded Story Begins Today
- July 14, 2010: Superman Comic Brings the Man of Steel to Philly
- July 16, 2010: Tiny Titans Meet Little Archie
- July 20, 2010: Nick Spencer Talks Jimmy Olsen Backup Story
- July 24, 2010: Chloe Sullivan's Comic Book Debut in Action Comics
- July 24, 2010: SDCC DC Universe: Event Horizon Panel
- July 24, 2010: SDCC - Superman The Man of Tomorrow Panel
- July 25, 2010: SDCC - Superman Homepage at Superman Panel and Photos from Day 1
- July 27, 2010: Jamal Igle to Appear at Dewey's Comic City
- August 11, 2010: Interview with Judd Winick About Superman/Batman
- August 12, 2010: Detroit Free Press Covers Superman's Walk to Motor City
- August 12, 2010: Interview with Dan Jurgens
- August 12, 2010: Superman Stars in First Issue of New Brave and the Bold All-Ages Comic
- August 14, 2010: LA Times Interview with Grant Morrison
- August 20, 2010: Superman Visits Cincinnati
- August 24, 2010: The Brave and The Bold on CBR
- August 29, 2010: DC Nation Panel at Baltimore Comic-Con
- August 29, 2010: Eddie Berganza Leaving Superman/Batman
- August 29, 2010: Gary Frank Talks Superman: Secret Origin
- September 1, 2010: Gary Frank Superman: Secret Origin Interview
- September 7, 2010: Artist Sean Chen Does Action Comics #893
- September 11, 2010: Joshua Williamson Talks Superman/Batman #77
- September 17, 2010: Grounded Interlude in Superman #704
- September 20, 2010: Chloe Sullivan's Comic Book Debut
- September 21, 2010: DC Comics Stays in NY, DC Entertainment Heads to CA
- September 22, 2010: Nick Spencer Talks Jimmy & Chloe in Action Comics
- September 27, 2010: Robert Harras Named EIC at DC Comics
- September 29, 2010: Paul Cornell on Action Comics Future Issues and Annual
- October 2, 2010: Additional Material in New Luthor Hardcover
- October 4, 2010: Paul Cornell Discusses Lex Luthor in Action Comics
- October 4, 2010: Revisiting DC One Million 12 Years Later
- October 7, 2010: DC Comics Drops Prices on $3.99 Comics
- October 7, 2010: Sterling Gates on Writing Superman and Supergirl
- October 8, 2010: New Creative Team Taking Over Supergirl Title
- October 12, 2010: Superman Finally Arrives in Cincinnati
- October 12, 2010: Jim Lee and Dan DiDio Explain DC Price Drop
- October 14, 2010: New One-Shot Steel Comic Coming in January
- October 14, 2010: Superman Connects With His Ohio Roots
- October 14, 2010: Sterling Gates Talks About Leaving Supergirl
- October 19, 2010: Process Piece - A Look at Superman: Earth One
- October 19, 2010: G. Willow Wilson Talks Superman #704
- October 24, 2010: Shane Davis Discusses Superman: Earth One
- October 26, 2010: Superman vs Muhammad Ali
- October 26, 2010: Chris Roberson Talks Superman/Batman #79
- October 26, 2010: Jim Lee Says Superman is Hardest Character to Draw
- October 27, 2010: Dan DiDio Talks Superman: Earth One
- October 27, 2010: DC Sends Superman: Earth One For Second Printing
- November 1, 2010: Steve Lyons Talks Steel #1
- November 5, 2010: Nick Spencer on Taking Over Supergirl
- November 9, 2010: Never-Made Superman/Rocketeer Comic Book Miniseries
- November 9, 2010: Exclusive Superboy Interview with Jeff Lemire
- November 10, 2010: JMS Quits Superman Monthly For Earth One Sequel
- November 10, 2010: DC Comics Opens Digital Store
- November 12, 2010: JMS Talks About Leaving Superman
- November 15, 2010: Doomsday Returns in 2011
- November 15, 2010: DC Universe Online: Legends Comic Series
- November 19, 2010: G. Willow Wilson Returns to Superman Grounded Story
- December 9, 2010: Steel vs Doomsday in 2011
- December 13, 2010: Twitter Campaign Calls for Lois Lane Series
- December 13, 2010: Chris Roberson on Taking Over Superman From JMS
- December 14, 2010: Steve Lyons on Doomsday's Return in Steel #1
- December 16, 2010: James Peaty Replaces Nick Spencer on Supergirl
- December 21, 2010: Superman's Funeral in DC Universe: Legacies #8
- December 24, 2010: Jeff Lemire on Superboy Comics in 2011
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