Saturday, August 14, 2010

Baltimore Comic Con: Questions for Creators


I'm approaching crunch time for the trip to the Baltimore Comic Con. With my 2 main targets for commissions decided (Amanda Conner and Terry Moore), I am now starting to look at the list of creators that are going to be there to see if there are any questions that I can ask should the moment allow.

Here are some early thoughts.


Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle:

I know I shouldn't necessarily lump them together but I really feel like they have been a creative team on the Supergirl book and with the character. Of all the guests, I hope to hobnob with them the most. So some questions I hope to have the time to ask:

1) First off, is Jamal leaving the book as has been rumored.

2) They have been on the book for 20 issues now! What moments are they most proud of? How do they think the character has grown over their time?

3) They have played with some big names in the DCU - Lana, Jimmy, Lucy, Alura, Cat? Who is their favorite to write and draw?

4) What about some hints for the future? Romance? Brainy as a recurring character? College? 75th Anniversary variant?

I'm sure more will come to me. But anything you guys want me to add?


James Robinson

While I didn't think Kara was written in a compelling manner in Cry For Justice, I have been much happier with her characterization by Robinson in both War of the Supermen and Justice League.

1) What attracted him to Supergirl as a character that he included here JLA and Cry For Justice?

2) While we have heard a lot about the brother/sister World's Finest feel of her relationship with Dick, will she interact with other members on the team closely? What does he think her relationship with Donna would be like?

3) Does he have any hints about her future on the title? Will she be the star in any upcoming story the way Jade is currently?




Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner

Palmiotti has written two recent mini-series with Supergirl in Superman/Supergirl:Maelstrom and Wednesday Comics, each with a very different interpretations of her character, which was very different than the version he wrote way back in Supergirl  #12. Conner drew the most adorable Kara this side of Eric Jones in Cosmic Adventures with a nice dollop of the super-pets on the side.

1) Given that Palmiotti has written these variations of Supergirl (including Power Girl), is he fond of her as a character?

2) The Supergirl in Wednesday Comics was over the top emotional, wearing her heart on her sleeve. The Maelstrom Kara was the opposite, keeping her emotions hidden and acting tough. DoesPalmiotti have an 'ideal' Supergirl in his mind, or does he find her more malleable than other characters.

3) The art in the Supergirl strip in Wednesday Comics was so perfect, showcasing Supergirl as a character and playing to Amanda Conner's strengths. Did she have as much fun drawing that strip that I did reading it? What was it like doing the art in such a big format?




Geoff Johns

Johns is only there on Sunday and I am sure will be swamped. But I would love to ask him some stuff about his Superman work (while the rest of the world probably wants to talk Blackest Night and Green Lantern).

1) Johns has really worked a number of Silver Age elements back into the Supergirl mythos, including Supergirl having loving parents and living on an intact Argo City. He also updated those as well. Was he given carte blanche? Anything he would still like to bring back? Any creators or Silver Age stories of Superman that he really loves?

2) He has folded in Donner movie references and maybe even some Animated Superman in Secret Origin. Has it been hard trying to make THE Superman origin, making an amalgam of all the genres?

3) He also started the rehabilitation of Supergirl in Brainiac, right around when Gates took over her title. What does he think of her as a character?

Again, I doubt I'll even be able to get to Johns, as I anticipate the line will be around the world to meet him.

Those would be the main questions, but if time permits ...


J.G. Jones

There was a bit of an internet kerfuffle when this cover for Final Crisis came out. Some (like me) thought it conveyed Supergirl's innocence, her expression an homage to the Silver Age Supergirl who did that all the time. Others thought it was salacious and provocative.

I'd love to ask him what he intended to evoke from the reader with that cover.


Marv Wolfman

I don't know what I would ask Marv Wolfman ... other than 'why?'

Is it wrong that I might bring Crisis #7 to him to autograph?

Anyways, if I am lucky enough to get any answers to these questions, I promise I will report them back here.

26 comments:

  1. All good questions, although I doubt you will get much out of Marv Wolfman, the few interviews I've read where the topic comes up he makes no secret of his disdain for Kara Zor El. But what the hell, you might get something new out of him. Marv and his colleagues all came out of 1960's fanzine-fan-dom where there was an institutional prejudice against legacy characters in general and the Silver Age Superman mythos in particular.
    But getting COIE #7 autographed, sure what the hell...Or maybe one of the Bronze Age Supergirl stories he wrote...
    :D

    John Feer

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  2. If I were to talk to Gates I would ask about Lucy Lane. Is she going to be a distant ancestor to Earth-Man in the 31st century? The biases and it seems as if Lucy's powers are heading in the direction of similar powers like his.

    Are Lucy and Lois really full blood sisters or perhaps only half-sisters? From the very, very different ways General Lane treated his daughters, I can't help but wonder. Could Lucy be a child born from an extra-martial affair and in order to save face the General allowed her to stay in his family? Why he showed such favortism for Lois and such distain for Lucy?

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  3. I'm sure marv is used to the WHY!!!! question by now. He's probably answered it for over 20 years LOL

    I guess I'd like to know how Sterling things the Legion will fit into Supergirl stories going forward

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  4. I'll save your questions for the show, Anj (it'll be great to meet you!), but to cover Valerie and Nikki's:

    1. No relation to Earth-Man, Valerie, and Lucy and Lois are both General and Ella Lane's daughters.

    2. The Legion will play pretty heavily in Supergirl, I think, Nikki. The Annual definitely focuses on them, particularly Supergirl and Brainiac 5 and their initial relationship.

    The Annual is really the reverse of Supergirl #52: Wherein SG #52, B-5 had met Supergirl before and knew all about her, SG Ann #2 is Supergirl and a young B-5's first adventure together.

    Time travel is fun. :)

    Thanks,
    Sterling

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  5. Thanks Sterling, I really wasn't expecting an answer, so fast especially directed right at me.

    That just leaves one other question open about Brainiac 5 and Supergirl and I hesitated to post it but...

    I will e-mail it to Anj since it might kick up a great big hornets nest again and cause everyone on here to get paranoid again about Kara's future.

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  6. Now me, I'd just ask in a loud "outdoor voice" "WHEN IS SUPERGIRL GONNA FIGHT A REALLY BIG MONSTER HUH????"
    :D

    John Feer

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  7. John-

    Sooner than you think.

    :)
    -Sterling

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  8. From the plot descriptions from the solicits, I would take a educated guess that the REALLY BIG MONSTER will show up during the Bizzaro Supergirl story arc.

    I am really looking forward to finally getting and reading the next issue of Supergirl coming out this upcoming Wednesday. When we start to get some answers about Bizzaro Supergirl.

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  9. Valerie,
    I hope you like where we take BizarroGirl. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters to write, if only because she's says so much about Kara TO Kara over the course of this story. :)

    Thanks,
    Sterling

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  10. Your welcome. Your version of Supergirl is the first series based on her I am working on collecting in my adult life.

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  11. I was happy when they brought back Zor and Alura and also Argo City (Only i wish they didn't blow it up,I mean it could have been used as just another piece of lost krypton and used for other stories and untold tales). I am hoping that they will be getting rid of zombie Supergirl and just bring old villains from the past,Like Psi,Blackstar,The Gang,Matrix-Prime or lesa-lar. It sucks that they can't use characters from the movie,like Selena and Bianca ,Ether-way i am enjoying the series and i wonder what they are going to do.

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  12. I'll save your questions for the show, Anj (it'll be great to meet you!), but to cover Valerie and Nikki's:

    1. No relation to Earth-Man, Valerie, and Lucy and Lois are both General and Ella Lane's daughters.

    2. The Legion will play pretty heavily in Supergirl, I think, Nikki. The Annual definitely focuses on them, particularly Supergirl and Brainiac 5 and their initial relationship.


    Thanks for the post and answers!

    I am glad that a Supergirl/Legion connections is going to happen again.

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  13. I hope you like where we take BizarroGirl. She's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters to write, if only because she's says so much about Kara TO Kara over the course of this story. :)


    I think she really is more of a dark reflection of Supergirl rather than an imperfect duplicate. And with all the stuff Kara has gone through recently, what Bizarrogirl says and does is going to be so revealing to what Supergirl is thinking.

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  14. just bring old villains from the past,Like Psi,Blackstar,The Gang,Matrix-Prime or lesa-lar.

    We saw a potential new Blackstar in Action #850 ... I wouldn't mind seeing her again myself.

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  15. Thanks for the answer Sterling.I think Supergirl works really well with Legion, I have ever since I read the old Levitz stuff years back. Reading Sun Boy being all fresh with her in those issues was amazing. Its a pity that couldn't have continued.

    Supergirl and the Threeboot felt like it never got started because she was alienated from the group for so long.

    It will be nice to get some good solid issues under the belt to build those relationships back up.

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  16. Just DON'T have Supergirl end up in bed with Lex Luthor! YUCK! Even to this day I am haunted by the thought of the Matrix/Supergirl having a relationship with him. Even if she was a bioblob from a pocket universe, who was no genetic relation of Superman's. The thought was so totally gross I didn't even look at another Supergirl comic for almost a decade even during the Linda Danver years because of it.

    I sometimes wonder how many older adults still stay away from the Supergirl comics because of that really bad storyline?

    Now if Supergirl had eaten a spicy meat sub just before she went to sleep and had a really, really weird perverse dream about- it. Well I could live and laugh with it.

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  17. Supergirl and the Threeboot felt like it never got started because she was alienated from the group for so long.

    I really agree with you, Nikki about that one. I heard from many young women, who were bitterly disappointed that there was no B5 and Kara relationship going. These women had watched the JLU-Far From HOme episode several times and had gone to look for issues about them and their relation.

    Only to B5 was totally involved with Dream Girl. Many felt that DC was taking advantage of the episode to boost their sales of the Legion by pulling a switch and bait on them. Luckily quite a few persisted and found some of what they were looking for in the old Legion issues and many got hooked on the original Legion material especially when Paul Levitz wrote her character, is a big hit with these young women.

    I have noticed that many young women, 25 and under got hooked into the Legion because of that one episode about B5 and Supergirl shown years ago.

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  18. They are all excellent questions Anj, and I hope you get a chance to ask all of them. I am very happy that you will finally get to meet Sterling and Jamal. They were great to talk with in Phoenix.

    With regards to Wolfman, John Feer is right in that Wolfman has already faced questions about why he killed Supergirl on COIE #7. If you do meet him perhaps you can ask him for any previously unknown "behind the scenes" information about how he wrote Supergirl's death, or that scene with her and Batgirl when she saved that plane in the middle of their conversation. You could also ask him for his opinion about Kara's rebirth in 2004. ;)

    If you do get a chance, I am curious about Amanda Connor's future plans. She has been doing a lot of Marvel covers lately, but will she draw another book soon?

    Enjoy the con Anj!

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  19. Anj, You could ask Marv Wolfman to name names on who fully supported the death of Supergirl in COIE # 7. Perhaps later those who did support it why they did and what they thought how long it took DC to get her right again.

    I read in an interview or two over the years that Dick Giordano was a BIG supporter of Kara's death because he thought DC could and would make a new and better version of Supergirl. Instead he regretted his support of it when he saw her replacements the Matrix Supergirl (who was in bed with Lex Luthor) and later the Earth Angel/Matrix/Linda Danvers with the supernatural angle of the Supergirl legends.

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  20. @valerie21601:

    I happen to ask Marv when he was at comic con a couple of years ago and he said that he was given 2 list on who was going to live and who was going to die in crisis and sadly supergirl was on the list of the dead .He also talked about that to kill supergirl off when her movie came out was a risk,no one knew if the movie would be popular or not and if it became popular then it would have been a bad idea to kill her off.He also said that the main reason had to do with the list and that he didn't want to kill her off.

    He was a pretty cool guy to talk to after the panel and he ended up signing a copy of teen titans comic i got.

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  21. Thanks to everyone for the questions and ideas and thank to Sterling for the early answers.

    I am thinking of asking Wolfman if he knew that the Supergirl image from #7 would be *the* image from the Crisis.

    As for the Matrix Supergirl, it was hard to see her as a Luthor pawn, just as it was hard to see her as a Brainiac pawn before that, just as it was hard to see her insane and 'becoming' Clark before that. While she had some nice moments, I think PAD did a great job re-inventing that character.

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  22. Actually, I do enjoy the PAD Earth Angel/ Linda Danvers /Supergirl now. Back when Linda Danvers/Supergirl first came out I wasn't able to appreciate her and her story lines. It's only been the past year and a half I have been able to set aside my biases of her to finally be able to read her stories and totally enjoy them too.

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  23. Anj I will be your web-toady if you use the word "Kara-tharsis" in a sentence with ANY of the above...

    :D

    JohnFeer

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  24. Is she going to get a supporting cast of her own?

    Owen Mercer?

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  25. oh please bring Boomer back somewhow. He didn't deserve his fate in Blackest Night and he was at his best as a friend of Kara's.

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  26. Boomer would be my second choice for Kara. At the very least as her guy best friend. I agree Boomer didn't deserve the fate he got in Blackest Night. He fought so long and hard to do good and this rather nasty death? Brrr!

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