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DC's first panel of Comic-Con focused on one of its most legendary heroes, Superman. With epic storylines kicking off and new creative teams stepping on board some of the key titles in the franchise, right now is a good time to be a fan of the Man of Steel. Sterling Gates (writer, Supergirl), Jamal Igle (artist, Supergirl), James Robinson (writer, Superman), Geoff Johns (writer, Action Comics) and Renato Guedes (artist, Superman) assembled to field questions from show attendees.
Sadly no major announcements were made during the panel, but the Q&A did reveal a few interesting concepts and bits of news. We've recapped the most important ones below.
# Johns is very excited about the future of Superman as he, Robinson and Sterling are gearing up to align the three titles as has been done with the two Green Lantern books. Johns noted that once they are set up properly, he wants to tell "crazy and big stories."
# Johns mentioned the "New Krypton" storyline which will kick off with a one-shot special. Johns mentioned that the upcoming arc would deal with Kandor being placed on Earth. The Kryptonians of Kandor believe that Earth is now their New Krypton. Superman disagrees, and a conflict kicks off from that point.
# Robinson noted that while his debut Atlas arc stands on its own, his title will begin to tie to Action Comics after that. He also mentioned that the creative teams are eager to make Supergirl, that previously it was a B-List title and they want that to change.
# Igle said working on Supergirl and the Superman franchise is an opportunity he's waited for his entire career. He mentioned he had to read Gates' first issue several times because it was so good. Kat Grant will be involved in the first issue as she writes a column titled "Why The World Does Not Need Supergirl." Kat Grant will be joining Supergirl's supporting cast along with Lana Lang. The team also intends to develop her Rogues Gallery, which will kick off with Reactron and Silver Banshee. Gates couldn't mention what villains would appear beyond that.
# The triangle numbers will reappear during crossovers during the franchise, but will not be on every issue.
# Johns teased what would be coming beyond New Krypton. He mentioned the team had plans for up to December 2010 and that the Krypton arc was "just the tip of the iceberg" for what was coming. He then mentioned that Superwoman was coming. Later he was asked if Lois Lane had anything to do with this mysterious character. Johns replied she did not. Specifically regarding Lois, the team mentioned that she was very, very important - in fact the second most important character second to Clark Kent/Superman.
# Robinson mentioned that he wants to shine a light on Superman's supporting cast. Specifically on the topic of Jimmy Olsen, Robinson said he sees Olsen as the best reporter in the world... who isn't quite there yet. He wants Olsen to be nearly as important as Lois and Clark.
# Johns mentioned that his stories are really about exploring characters rather than specifically trying to bring about change that might be undone in two years. Regarding the "Last Son" arc, Johns said the point wasn't to give Superman a child, it was to explore the idea that Superman could never have a child.
# What's in store for Lex Luthor? When the panel was asked this question, Igle simply laughed. "Lots of good things. He thinks he's going to change the world," explained Johns. Given the presence of New Krypton, it's easy to see where Luthor might come in to play.
# Speaking of "Last Son," General Zod will be returning. "He's going to be really mad - and he doesn't like Brainiac much either," said Johns.
# Superman and the Kingdom Come Superman will be teaming up in the upcoming one-shot by Alex Ross.
# Will Doomsday be reappearing? Yes, according to Johns.
# Early 2009 will see the relationship of Lois and Clark redefined.
# An ETA on Robinson's Justice League series? The writer wasn't sure. He figured it would probably be by the end of the year but that they were trying to get the first arc right. He mentioned that Trial of Shazam's Mauro Cascioli would be doing the art. He also said Supergirl would be a part of that series.
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Sadly no major announcements were made during the panel, but the Q&A did reveal a few interesting concepts and bits of news. We've recapped the most important ones below.
# Johns is very excited about the future of Superman as he, Robinson and Sterling are gearing up to align the three titles as has been done with the two Green Lantern books. Johns noted that once they are set up properly, he wants to tell "crazy and big stories."
# Johns mentioned the "New Krypton" storyline which will kick off with a one-shot special. Johns mentioned that the upcoming arc would deal with Kandor being placed on Earth. The Kryptonians of Kandor believe that Earth is now their New Krypton. Superman disagrees, and a conflict kicks off from that point.
# Robinson noted that while his debut Atlas arc stands on its own, his title will begin to tie to Action Comics after that. He also mentioned that the creative teams are eager to make Supergirl, that previously it was a B-List title and they want that to change.
# Igle said working on Supergirl and the Superman franchise is an opportunity he's waited for his entire career. He mentioned he had to read Gates' first issue several times because it was so good. Kat Grant will be involved in the first issue as she writes a column titled "Why The World Does Not Need Supergirl." Kat Grant will be joining Supergirl's supporting cast along with Lana Lang. The team also intends to develop her Rogues Gallery, which will kick off with Reactron and Silver Banshee. Gates couldn't mention what villains would appear beyond that.
# The triangle numbers will reappear during crossovers during the franchise, but will not be on every issue.
# Johns teased what would be coming beyond New Krypton. He mentioned the team had plans for up to December 2010 and that the Krypton arc was "just the tip of the iceberg" for what was coming. He then mentioned that Superwoman was coming. Later he was asked if Lois Lane had anything to do with this mysterious character. Johns replied she did not. Specifically regarding Lois, the team mentioned that she was very, very important - in fact the second most important character second to Clark Kent/Superman.
# Robinson mentioned that he wants to shine a light on Superman's supporting cast. Specifically on the topic of Jimmy Olsen, Robinson said he sees Olsen as the best reporter in the world... who isn't quite there yet. He wants Olsen to be nearly as important as Lois and Clark.
# Johns mentioned that his stories are really about exploring characters rather than specifically trying to bring about change that might be undone in two years. Regarding the "Last Son" arc, Johns said the point wasn't to give Superman a child, it was to explore the idea that Superman could never have a child.
# What's in store for Lex Luthor? When the panel was asked this question, Igle simply laughed. "Lots of good things. He thinks he's going to change the world," explained Johns. Given the presence of New Krypton, it's easy to see where Luthor might come in to play.
# Speaking of "Last Son," General Zod will be returning. "He's going to be really mad - and he doesn't like Brainiac much either," said Johns.
# Superman and the Kingdom Come Superman will be teaming up in the upcoming one-shot by Alex Ross.
# Will Doomsday be reappearing? Yes, according to Johns.
# Early 2009 will see the relationship of Lois and Clark redefined.
# An ETA on Robinson's Justice League series? The writer wasn't sure. He figured it would probably be by the end of the year but that they were trying to get the first arc right. He mentioned that Trial of Shazam's Mauro Cascioli would be doing the art. He also said Supergirl would be a part of that series.
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