What’s up friends and neighbors, Ben Morse here, coming at you with our third day of coverage on the San Diego International Comic-Con here on 411. With me as always is Tim Stevens…party on, Tim.
Party on, Ben.
I knew it was going to be an interesting day the moment I woke up following three hours of sleep and tried to rustle my brother-in-arms for bed; when I volunteered to take a shower first and let Tim sleep a little while longer, he informed me “I won’t be getting up…ever.†I asked if he planned on dying, but he informed me he had “ascended to a higher level of consciousness, where sleep no longer matters.†I was somewhat perplexed but Tim then went on to tell me “I am Tim no more, I am Megalith now…Megalith does feels words are beneath him and will heretoforth speak only in symbols.†…and on like that for, like, an hour…
Listen, I am but a conduit from which Megalith speaks. I am honored by the presence of his spirit and #!@|||\&*^#$…oh, sorry. Like it was said before Megalith speaks only in symbols and…is this joke working?
And this is the man I am currently sharing a hotel room with…anywho, we’ve got a ton of news today, injected, as always, with out unique flava, but first, a few anecdotes from our day in the section that in only one day has become one of the most popular features in the history of the internet and cooler than anything CBR has ever done ever…
This & That
-While I sent Tim to cover the Wildstorm panel (which I can do, because he’s, like, my minion), I planned to get a photo with Stan Lee, mostly because my girlfriend has a wall at home with pictures of her and her family with famous people and I really wanted to be on it; since I had failed with Eliza Dushku because I instead (as a side note, Tim just tossed a folded piece of paper at me that read “Are we friends? Check yes or no…†more on this later, but seriously, I’m afraid to go to sleep tonight) chose to listen to Geoff Johns, Judd Winick & Brad Meltzer on, seriously, the most enjoyable panel I’ve ever attended (in the three days I’ve been going to comic book conventions…but in all seriousness, it was an amazing panel, and if you ever have the opportunity to hear any of these men speak, particularly together, do everything in your power to get there), I figured I’d give it a go with Stan, but the line was capped off. I figured I was set later because we got a chance to chat with Judd for a bit and we took our pictures with him, but when I called my girlfriend to tell her, she informed me “Judd from the Real World? I don’t really think he’s famous enough.†Are you kidding me? I love my girlfriend dearly, but who is she to judge Judd Winick? It was whack, yo.
I would hazard to say that it is, in fact, mad whack.
Well put, Megadeth…regardless of his fame or lack thereof, Judd is one of the funniest guys I have ever met and a real fan of comics; it was really nice to get a chance to chat with him, even briefly. Tim just informed me he was asleep, I argued that he wasn’t because he was talking to me and he countered with “isn’t that impressive?†he is now reading a copy of the Epic Anthology he bought for fifty cents today.
It features Sleepwalker and thus, is most excellent. It could only be more excellent, in fact, if it featured Darkhawk.
Or some sort of monkey story. Monkey stories are, as a rule, the most fruitful genre in the creative writing world…as I understand it.
I’m sorry…are we going somewhere with this? Cause, if not, I am sure Jamie is way past the legal limit somewhere on the streets of San Diego and in need of either help or drinking buddies. Or, we could always beat up on those Newsarama punks…again.
Seriously, Newsarama might be the stupidest name for a web site I have ever heard. 411 is really clever because that is the phone code for information; Newsarama is just “News†with “arama†added to the end…just think about that for a second (411 would like to take this time to say that we love and respect our fellow comics sites, even though Ben, Tim & Jamie have some perverse desire to provoke them into a massive knife fight with dancing ala West Side Story). And yes, Jamie is probably talking to a statue somewhere, and it’s your fault for insisting the three of us do tequila shots; you know he can’t stop once he starts!
Ahh, life as a bad influence. It is my gift. It is my curse.
Before we conclude this way-too-long opening section (which if you have any sense, you have scrolled past by now), I’d just like to give a few shout outs to folks who did good by us at the con: Andy Serwin & Mike Cotton from Wizard, who were nice enough to tolerate me hanging around them like an annoying little brother who won’t go away all weekend; Todd Nauck, who drew me a great Superboy sketch and is a fun guy to talk to as well (hopefully an interview with him coming soon; if you haven’t already, buy Wildguard, it’s awesome); Allen Jacobsen, who not only helped us get our business cards out to his fellow Marvel creators, but asked us for another one today because he lost his, meaning he didn’t throw it out; Brad Meltzer and Judd Winick for being part of that amazing panel and both taking the time to talk with us (and Brad also signed an Identity Crisis for me noting “I feel like we’re family;†Tim is really mad at me for not getting him an autograph and it has caused a tremendous rift between us); and, of course, Geoff Johns, for really making us feel welcome from day one, taking us for beers, and being one of the coolest guys we have ever met. But really, thanks to all the pros who showed up for Comic-Con, you really made it a great time for us and we appreciate all the work you do to put out the stuff we love.
Oh yeah, and Jamie bashed Rob Liefeld while the guy was standing two feet away from him without realizing it…he was probably hammered.
On…to..the…news!
First up, Tim’s got the lowdown on today’s Identity Crisis panel…
Identity Crisis: Murder in the DCU
By Tim
The panel on the series that needs no introduction…and thus receives none.
Panel Members: Michael Bair (Inker), Mike Carlin (Editor), Brad Meltzer (Writer), Rags Morales (Penciller), Alex Sinclair (Colorist), and Michael Turner (Cover Artist)
– Meltzer began the panel by stressing that the book was very much a collaborative effort between all involved from the creative team, to the fan, press, and retailer support, all the way up to Dan DiDio. Pointing out DiDio in the crowd, Meltzer explained that, in his opinion, it was the best time to be a DC fan because, “It (DC) is a ship that is moving and being driven in a certain direction,†by DiDio.
– The impetus of Identity Crisis and the decision to use Sue Dibny was born of Mike Carlin and DiDio’s desire to “bring a real sense of danger back to the DC Universe.†Although initially uninterested in the story idea, Meltzer quickly found his angle and saw their point, believe that events in the DCU had “to have consequence or else there was no meaning to the stories.†As a result, the death was never really the goal for Meltzer, only the start. In his own words, “the death is the easy part,†and thus he was more interested in telling the story of the secret revealed in issue #2 and the story of a League within the Justice League that concealed the aforementioned secret.
–There will be a few crossover, or as Carlin would identify them, “follow through†stories told in the pages of Teen Titans, Flash, JSA, and Firestorm.
Meltzer has read Johns’s scripts for Titans, Flash, and JSA and proclaimed them to be, “unbelieveable.â€
The difference, according to the panel, between these crossover titles and previous ones is that any ID Crisis crossovers are voluntary, not mandatory. Thus, the creative teams that do them have chosen to do so and not been forced into that decision.
–A big goal of the upcoming issues is to reclaim the Silver Age stories “in a big way,†and what Silver Age stories in particular they are going for will quickly become clear.
– “He is ripping into your soul in ways you don’t understand,†Meltzer explained, complimenting Morales’s art.
–The Big 3 (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman) were purposely left out of the first two issues, but they will be making important appearances in future issues.
–In reference to the Lex Luthor crisis quote at the end of the opening arc of Superman/Batman and whether that refers to Identity Crisis or another crisis (prompted by a question asked by yours truly) Carlin would only say that “yes and no,†and Meltzer proved less helpful only telling the audience, “I’m going to stay silent on that one.†He had a similar reaction to a question concerning Plastic Man’s presence in the story.
–Meltzer took time out to discuss the rape of Sue Dibny in issue #2, calling it the elephant in the room. He assured that he took the event very seriously, pointing to his wife’s role in the reinstitution of the Violence Against Women Act. It was not written purely for shock value, but rather because he truly believed that it had a place in the story. To paraphrase, in a world where the villains are trying to kill you, your family, commit acts of terrorism and other mayhem, it is naïve not to believe that rape is a weapon in a villain’s arsenal as well.
–Pointing out that he is a continuity buff, Meltzer explained the possible “continuity lapse†of Captain Atom’s presence by pointing out that every time Captain has died before, he leaps forward in time. Where did he end up this time? Identity Crisis #1.
–Repercussions of the events of Identity Crisis will be felt both forwards and backwards. In the future, for at least the next two years, and possibly beyond consequences will continue to play out. As for the past, IC will “change the way you read your back issues.â€
Cup O’ Joe
by Tim
Mr. EIC springs his signature style to his solo open forum…with slides!
Panel Members: Joe Quesada (EIC), Dan Buckley (Publisher), and CB Sebulski
– The panel began with Quesada assuring the fans that Black Widow, sadly, will not be written by the actual Philip K. Dick, but rather a winner of the Philip K. Dick award. This is despite what you might here at other major sites. (Can you say that 411 got right what The Pulse did not? Yes, I thought you could.)
–If the Doctor Spectrum miniseries does well, chances are we will see further minis devoted to Supreme Power characters and approved by J. Michael Straczynski as creative consultant (as was the case in Spectrum).
–An X-23 miniseries hits shelves in January of 2005 with Craig Kyle on writing and Billy Tan on pencilling.
–Marvel and Dreamwave Studios will be teaming up for a Fantastic Four/ X-Men miniseries.
–Admitting that he personally dislikes exclusive contracts, Quesada compared the scramble for talent to the building of arms in the Cold War. Each side is trying to beat the other through the simple amassing of exclusive talent.
And while he might not like it, Quesada acknowledges that it is the way of the comic world now.
Then, he announced exclusive contracts for Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Robert Kirkman, and…Warren Ellis.
–Expect news of what characters will make up the Thunderbolts in 3 to 4 weeks.
–More Runaways for January of 2005 and a new trade due out in October.
–Besides that aforementioned Runaways digest, fans can also expect Mary Jane, Jubilee, and Emma Frost to see similar sized volumes published in the near future to collect recent runs of those titles.
–Whereas we were going to “love Quesada’s ass†for plans upcoming in Thor, they have be changed some. Unfortunately that was all Joe could say about that at this time.
–Tim Bradstreet does have a Marvel project on the way, but it is not Nick Fury.
–New Spider-Man and Fantastic Four Masterworks Volumes on the horizon.
–On how Singer’s upcoming run on Ultimate X-Men will fit, scheduling wise, with Vaughn stuff, “Can’t tell you yet, but it is all perfectly arranged.â€
–Peter David’s oft-rumored Hulk miniseries is scheduled to begin after Jones’s Hulk/Thing mini concludes
–Silver Surfer will conclude at issue #14.
–Recent expansions of the Marvel line are do to an optimistic view of the current comic book market. When Joe first arrived, he pared back the line because the industry was still losing readers consistently. Four years later, that drop has stopped and the market is strong once more. A strong market means more titles published which means more room to take creative risks and use characters in unexpected ways.
Wildstorm: Comics Untamed
by Tim
This was one of the panels I was forced to go alone. It was a scary time even with Jim Lee did passing out free Mrs. Field’s cookies and Tony Harris offering up a hot dog over and over again. If Ben was off doing anything besides seeking out a photo or autograph (or, dare I say, interview?) with Stan “The Man†Lee, there would be much whining here. However, Stan is Stan and as such Ben’s excuse is more than acceptable.
Oh yes. This is also the panel that confirmed that it was in fact Tony Harris on that plane with me. Put another way, this is the panel that confirmed my stupidity.
Panel Members: Ben Abernathy (Editor), Ed Brubaker ( Writer, Sleeper Season 2, Authority: Revolution), Joe Casey (Writer, The Intimates), Howard Chaykin (Writer, City of Tomorrow), Scott Dunbier (Editor), Tony Harris (Penciller, Ex Machina), Jim Lee (Publisher, Penciller, The Intimates), Dustin Nguyen (Penciller, The Authority: Revolution), John Ridley ( Writer, Authority: Human on the Inside), Alex Sinclair (Colorist), and J.H. Williams (Penciller, Desolation Jones).
– Biggest bit of news: Alan Moore and his daughter will be revamping a library of British comic book characters from IPC. According to Bob Wayne, “These characters are the Silver Age characters of the British comics scene.†Shawn Oakley will be on interior pencils and Dave Gibbons on covers.
–In other Moore news, Leia will be working with John Ridley on a new book called Wild Girl. Meanwhile, her proud papa is nearly done with Volume 3 of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
–The Wildstorm Universe will welcome its first anthology book, Razor’s Edge. John Ridley and Simon Bisley kick off the series with a Warblade story that is “very, very unique…it engages you every step of the way,†according to Ridley.
–Chaykin’s City of Tomorrow is the story of a love triangle between a man, a woman who wishes to be a robot and a female robot who is happy being that way. Despite laughter, Chaykin insisted that the book is about tolerance.
Chaykin is as excited about this project as he has been for anything as of later.
–Warren Ellis has two projects on the horizon. The first is Desolation Jones which artist J.H. Williams describes as having, “cool, unusual detective stuff, a little bit of spy/spook stuff, all with Warren’s typical insanity.â€
The second title is Ocean, a big sci-fi epic that goes from Earth to Europa. The most important thing about it, according to Bob Wayne, is that “Warren Ellis has already turned in all 6 scripts.â€
–Casey joked that he was the writer of “a bunch of cancelled books for Wildstorm,†before discussing his new endeavor, The Intimates, a super hero team in training that he co-created with Jim Lee. Casey encouraged fans to get the book because he cannot afford yet another black mark on his record.
–Brubaker/Nguyen’s Authority maxi comes out in October.
–Astro City will be returning soon with a Visitor’s Guide, featuring great art from Michael Golden and George Perez, jus to name a few, followed by the Dark Ages miniseries.
–Ex Machina is Tony Harris’s “favorite thing in 16 years,†and truly feels that this is a case of lightning striking twice, comparing it to his seminal work Starman.
X-Men Reloaded
By Ben
This was a panel I was looking forward to because of the number of creators on it and because the Marvel panels had been fun so far, but I didn’t expect much in the way of actual news, seeing as how Reload had just started. I got the good panel I expected, but far more news than I bargained on.
Panel Members: David Hine (District X), John Layman (Gambit), Aaron Lopresti (Excalibur), Chris Claremont (Uncanny X-Men, Excalibur), John Cassady (Astonishing X-Men), Robert Rodi (Rogue), Robert Kirkman (Jubilee), Jim Calafiore (Exiles), Ted McKeever (Mystique), Christina Weir & Nunzio DeFillipis (New X-Men: Academy X), Kevin J. Anderson (Starjammers)
–First and foremost, Peter Milligan (X-Statix, Human Target) was announced as Chuck Austen’s successor on X-Men, starting in December. Salvador Larocca will remain on art chores and Milligan will not be changing the lineup of characters featured now for at least the first few issues.
–District X was praised as a great and underrated comic by Quesada and it was announced that writer Hine would be working on an unnamed Daredevil project in the future.
–Exiles writer Tony Bedard was in the crowd, but, oddly, did not go up on stage.
–Gambit writer Layman says he will be bringing the character “back to basics†as a con man and hustler in New Orleans, he will feature the Thieve’s Guild, and that he will do something with the Gambit & Rogue coupling but not right away.
–Quesada said Peter David’s Madrox limited series is set in Mutant Town, the same “world†as District X, and that they owe Grant Morrison for creating that, among other things.
–Michael Ryan will be the new artist on New X-Men: Academy X as of issue #5.
–Darick Robertson got the job drawing the new Nightcrawler series in part because he showed up at the Marvel offices in a full Nightcrawler costume.
–Rodi said his Rogue series will focus on “her childhood, some nasty stuff that happened there, and a mysterious stranger.â€
–Quesada didn’t recognize Olivier Coipel’s fill-in art for Uncanny X-Men at first and then blamed it on not understanding the French.
–Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.’s first Wolverine arc, coinciding with the characters 30th anniversary, will feature lots of ninjas and Elektra; Romita Jr. is also working on a secret project.
–With the exception of Madrox, all the new solo series are ongoing.
–With the 10th anniversary of the Age of Apocalypse coming up next year, doing something with the story has not been ruled out, and, Claremont noted, it, like everything else in X-Men history, plays a part in the X-Men: The End trilogy of books by him and Sean Chen.
–Weir & DeFillipis said they felt it was important to use Dusk in Academy X as showing that nobody’s beliefs are right or wrong all the time.
–Weapon X has been cancelled following the September issue.
–No immediate plans for X-Statix characters on the main books, but with Milligan as writer, they could show up later.
–Bryan Singer will still be writing an Ultimate X-Men arc and it will fit somehow with Brian K. Vaughan’s run.
–Claremont broke my heart in a million pieces as after I told him how happy I was with the Cannonball character and where he was taking him and asked about plans for the future as far as an increased leadership role, he responded that Cannonball is leaving the X-Men with issue #447 and will be full-time in the new X-Force book.
–Without outright saying it, Claremont implied he is trying to secure Quicksilver or The Scarlet Witch or both for Excalibur.
–Northstar will be showing up in Academy X as one of the first teachers whose own “squad†is highlighted, something Weir & DeFillipis plan to do a lot of.
–When asked about Chuck Austen’s Nurse Annie character, the response was “she’ll be moving to JLA.
–In response to a question about why Magneto had been changed from a Jew to a gypsy in the 90s, Quesada & Claremont both agreed he remained a Jew in their eyes for all intents and purposes. Claremont later expanded that the story had been changed for whatever political reason but they were choosing to ignore the changes.
–Jubilee will be collected in digest format.
–Claremont will eventually address the issue of the “imposter†Magneto and the relationship between Magneto and New York will play a major role in Excalibur.
–Anderson plugged Starjammers as “space pirates who will appeal to a crowd that might prefer sci-fi to super-heroes.
DC: Take It To The Limit
By Ben
This was definitely the “big guns†DC panel, with some big announcements, a ton of creators, and much of the energy and enthusiasm some other DC panels had lacked. Everybody was on top of their game and the hour and a half flew by.
Panel Members: Bob Wayne (Editor), Dan Didio (Vice-President), Jimmy Palmiotti (Hawkman, The Monolith), Rags Morales (Identity Crisis), Greg Rucka (Wonder Woman, Adventures of Superman, Gotham Central), Geoff Johns (JSA, The Flash, Teen Titans), Ron Garney (JLA), Howard Porter (The Flash), Judd Winick (Green Arrow, Outsiders), Brian Azzarello (Superman), Mark Waid (Legion of Super-Heroes), Brad Meltzer (Identity Crisis), Dan Jolley (Firestorm, Bloodhound), Bill Willingham (Robin, Batman: War Games), Ale Garza
–Wayne said Identity Crisis will not be collected until November of 2005, so buy the issues now.
–Johns announced JSA #67 will tie into Identity Crisis and feature art by Dave Gibbons.
–Winick explained the America’s Most Wanted Host John Walsh had come to DC with the idea of being involved with a comic, Outsiders had been selected, and Winick didn’t realize initially that Walsh actually wanted to be in the comic. The story will revolve around the Outsiders enlisting Walsh’s help in breaking up a child slavery ring at Nightwing’s suggestion; Winick described Walsh as “a real life Batman.â€
–The Teen Titans/Legion special will revolve around and answer once and for all whether Superboy is a Titan or a Legionnaire. Johns said the story begins with Superboy & Wonder Girl’s first date and said the villains will be the Fatal 500; Waid said the final seven pages of the book will set up the new Legion series and that he has never been this excited for any project he has done. Didio described Legion as the “final major piece of the DCU puzzle†and noted that publisher and former LSH writer Paul Levitz had given the story his enthusiastic blessing.
–DC Direct will be doing some Cartoon Network projects soon.
–Meltzer commented that Johns’ Identity Crisis tie-in in The Flash will “redefine what a crossover story is†and Johns was quick to praise Porter for so much of The Flash’s continued success.
–Palmiotti said that upcoming issues of Hawkman would guest star The Atom and The Monolith and that several classic villains would be coming back.
–Rucka described the end of the current arc in Wonder Woman as “now is the roller coaster,†with major changes coming, including action on Earth, Olympus and Hades, death and redemption for characters “you won’t expect,†and a Wonder Girl guest appearance for a road trip storyline.
–Unsurprisingly, Johns had no comments on Green Lantern: Rebirth.
–Didio described the new Manhunter series as the “sleeper book if the year†and said it will come out of Identity Crisis and previous Manhunters will make appearances.
–Jolley said answers about Ronnie Raymond start coming with issue #4 and begin to take real shape with #6, which Chris Batista doing fill-in art before new regular artist Jamal Igle takes over and followed with “things will all make sense, I swear to God;†he did say Martin Stein will not be reappearing any time soon.
–Jolley described writing Bloodhound as being like “driving a really sweet car you built yourself.â€
–Breach will be a new series debuting in January written by former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Bob Harras featuring a new super-hero lead character.
–Judd Winick & Doug Mahnke will be the new regular creative team on Batman following the War Games crossover. Their first arc will be “Under The Hood,†featuring a new version of The Red Hood with “somebody of note†under a new costume; Winick said “I’m staying on this book until they fire me or they cancel it.â€
–Ale Garza will be the new Batgirl artist starting in November and wants to “bring back the sense of fun that Jim Lee and Joe Madureira brought to art.â€
–The Batman Chronicles will be a new yearly collection attempting to reprint every chronological appearance of Batman.
–Batman: Gotham County Line will be a three issue horror mini-series written by Steve Niles.
–Kamandi will receive an archive edition in 2005.
–Another Bizarro World project is coming in 2005.
–Azzarello promoted Superman by deadpan reading the plot of the first six pages of #207. When asked to comment on his own title, Rucka simply said he did “not know what happens on page seven.â€
–Waid described the Legion re-launch as a “re-imagining,†not a reboot./b>
–New Teen Titans: Games by Marv Wolfman & George Perez is coming along andx expected for a Fall 2005 release.
–Rucka said he, Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark will not stop writing Gotham Central until the “pry the keyboard and pencil from our hands†and said an upcoming arc will feature a Flash rogue as well as that a policeman named Jim Corrigan will figure into the ongoing story.
–Azzarello & Lee Bermejo’s Lex Luthor mini-series will come out in the Spring of 2005, following the conclusion of Azzarello’s run on Superman.
–Rucka said he’s seen the screenplay for the Wonder Woman movie, likes it, and hopes the movie gets made.
–Nothing to announce yet on projects for Grant Morrison and Dave Gibbons.
–Tim unintentionally dissed Winick by asking what was up with Green Arrow since it “didn’t make the slide show;†Winick responded that the “New Blood†arc is the most important story he has written in five years and will change Green Arrow forever.
–Didio responded to criticism about the lack of one issue stories by saying they were not trying to build stories for trades, they were trying to build them for periodical reading, giving readers a reason to come back for the next issue.
–Didio said there were “big plans for Nightwing but gave no further details.
–Didio said that whether or not other characters would get the Batman Chronicles treatment depended on the success of the project.
–Wayne got in a shot at the competition when a fan asked how he felt about Bryan Singer coming onboard the Superman movie by saying “ask them at the Marvel panel, an ask them when X3 is coming out.â€
–Doom Patrol continuity will be addressed at some point.
–According to Didio, they are “trying to do something with the Metal Men.â€
–Unspecified changes are upcoming for Aquaman.
–When asked if JSA #75 would be a landmark issue, Johns responded: “Hell yes.â€
–Johns and Winick are “working on a home for Tempest.â€
–There are no plans for a second H-E-R-O trade.
–Winick said he’d have to “agree to disagree†with a fan over Tom Raney’s art on Outsiders not being as good with him inking his own pencils.
–Didio outline his DC master plan as “securing the best talent, focusing on individual characters, and bringing it all back together to tell the most exciting stories we can†and said the DCU works because “there are no egos in this room and all these guys can work together.â€
–There are no plans for Lobo, but are some for The Demon.
–Johns said to check out Teen Titans #15 for something on Donna Troy.
–Rucka said “you never know†as to whether he’d ever focus on Wonder Woman’s perceived bisexuality; Winick said that if he did, he’d do the art.
–Wayne responded to the rumors about a Jack Black Green Lantern movie by saying “I have no fear of seeing that movie.†Johns joked that Black will be in Rebirth.
–When asked who their favorite heroes were, the panel members gave the following answers: Porter said The Flash, Garney said Superman, Johns said The Flash, Rucka said Wonder Woman, Morales said Captain Marvel, Azzarello said Wolverine was second only to Jesus, Didio said Jim Lee, Winick said Batman unless Rucka goes through with the bisexual thing on Wonder Woman, Palmiotti said Monolith, Jolley said Bloodhound, and Garza said the Teen Titans as a group.
Spotlight of Geoff Johns
Actually, a panel from the first day of the Convention, we held off on this because a.) we had the Johns interview and b.) we both feared transcribing the tape from this panel. However, we’ve done it and there are some chestnuts so read on and enjoy. And yes, this is somehow more Geoff Johns news. For a man who answers questions about the future plans of his books with so few words we certainly do designate a lot of space to the man. Why? Well, Bobby, because he’s excellent.
Panel Members: Geoff Johns
–Immediate book plans- Flash- Identity Crisis crossover coming up, leading right into Rogue War.
JSA- 2 part Hourman story.
An issue featuring Dave Gibbons art that “just blows me [Geoff] away.â€
JSA/JSA starting in #68, featuring Alex Ross covers for the 2 parter in which the team of today teams up with the team of the 1940’s in a story involving the villainy of Degaton. Johns describes the arc as “My favorite story we’ve done…I’ve wanted to do it for a long time.â€
Teen Titans- Wrapping up the Beast Boy arc that has just started
Legion crossover in #16, leading to the Titans/Legion one shot with Waid in September
Titans Tomorrow picks up after that arc and finds the Titans running into themselves 10 years in the future where, as Superboy puts it, “Man, we’re real pricks, aren’t we.†The thrust of the story is the Titans trying to return to their time and figure out how to prevent ever becoming that future version of themselves.
Followed by cool plans that Johns could not further get into.
Rebirth- “If you’re a GL fan, I don’t care what kind of GL fan you are, if you are a GL fan, I promise you at the very least this will be worth,†your money.
–On Power Girl’s origin: “I have the story. We are working on the story. It will not be out until early next year. I’m sorry for the delay. I promise you guys, it is worth it.â€
–On Kory’s unhappiness: “Kory has issues and she’ll work them out extremely soon. She finds something out pretty big and it will change the way she looks at a few things.
–If left on Avengers, Johns would have loved to write a Masters of Evil arc and a Wrecking Crew story in which they wake up at 5 in the morning, hung over, gun out and hustle people for money all day. At 5 pm, it is is quitting time, they go out and buy a few kegs, party, wake up the next morning and do it all over again
–Kid Flash will show up in the Identity Crisis crossover story in Flash
–Titans and The Outsiders will “absolutely†cross paths in the future.
–For those curious about Donna Troy’s return, if and when, read issue #14 of Titans.
– “Ask me again in two months,†in RE: to future on GL title after Rebirth is through
–â€Extremely far,†is how far Johns plans for the Superboy/Wonder Girl situation to go.
–The Justice League will be returning to Teen Titans soon.
–Upcoming Rogue spotlight issues include #217, Heatwave, and the new Trickster some time after that. Flash has a bit of a spotlight issue of his own at 219 entitled, The Secret Origin of Flash because, “now his origin is secret again,†following the Spectre’s aid at the conclusion of Blitz.
–A Roulette story is coming to JSA very soon.
–As is his reputation, Johns will be bringing back some older GL villains in Rebirth
Well that’s it from me and Megaman for the day, thanks for sticking with us. Hope you enjoyed our coverage (and we’d love to hear some feedback) and I’m not quite sure what we’ll have tomorrow, but hopefully it will be cool, and we’ll have some neat retrospectives in the upcoming weeks (as soon as Jamie sobers up) and hopefully some good interviews for y’all.
Also, in late-breaking news: the copy of the JSA issue with my zombie in it Tim owns now signed by both Geoff Johns AND myself is now the most valuable comic ever.
Until next time: if you like zombies, and you like Jesus, you’ll love Zombie Jesus.
