Reviews for this week look like they'll have to wait as news from NYCC begins to be released. The first news item that grabbed me ... the new Action Comics creative team. Starting with Action Comics #18, Andy Diggle will be writing and Tony Daniel will be penciling.
Now, amazingly, in reviewing my comic database, I don't have much from either creator. So I am going into this series with no preconceived notions. I simply don't know what to expect.
Of course, with announcements like these, the publicity mill starts to spin. Here is an interview over on CBR with Diggle talking about his approach to the character: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41487
Diggle also says that Action will now take place in the present and will synch up with Superman more than it has now. Does that mean we will get back to triangle numbers on the cover again?
This cover for Action Comics #18 seems a bit grim but given what we saw in Superman #0, this must be Kal on Krypton.
Anyways, here are a couple of questions that grabbed me.
Can you give us a tease on the direction you plan to take the series, starting with your first arc?
I don't know how much I can talk about how it will relate to other titles, but like I said, I very much want to balance the extremely epic, massive-scale action heroics with the human side of Kal-El and Clark Kent too. I would like to see him explored a little bit more. And I would like to see his relationship with Lois Lane explored a little bit more in the New 52.
Great stories can be found in the exploration of the dichotomy of Superman as a human from middle America and also nearly omnipotent super-human. I, for one, enjoy those stories. In my mind, Clark thinks he is Clark first and Superman second. He is a simple country boy who wants to help others and, luckily, has abilities that let him do that. So trying to balance that with big threats and high action will be tough ... but it has been done before with great results.
And any mention of upping the Lois content is welcomed!
You touched on this, but we've seen countless interpretations of the Superman/Clark Kent/Lois Lane relationship over the years. Now, DC has thrown the ultimate monkey wrench into the mix in the form of Wonder Woman. Did you know that was happening when you agreed to take on "Action Comics," and if so, was that part of the appeal?
And it kind of makes sense from Superman's point of view in the New 52. When we've jumped into the present, Superman is still finding his feet, to a degree. He's still trying to figure out his place on the planet and how he fits in, and even though deep down inside he's this very human character, he still feels different and alone in certain ways. I think that he feels a bit like a fish out of water, and I think Diana feels the same way, so to a degree, they feel like kindred spirits, which is not quite the same as his relationship with Lois. I think there are different aspects of the character that you can explore through those relationships.
So more Lois is good! And investigating the Lois/Clark dynamic has made good stories for 75 years. And calling Superman a 'very human character' makes me think Diggle understands who Superman is.
And yet we have this 'different and alone' phrase which has cropped up over and over and just seems incongruous with Superman. He isn't a loner. He embraces his humanity. So hopefully this alienation piece doesn't overwhelm the characterization on the book.
I would welcome ... truly welcome ... hearing from anyone who has read Diggle before and can predict/anticipate how you think Diggle will be with Superman.
It will be hard to follow Morrison. Just ask Rachel Pollock (Doom Patrol), Tom Veitch (Animal Man), Chuck Austen (New Xmen), etc.
I haven't read a lot of Andy Diggle. He did the Adam Strange mini-series that briefly relaunched DC's cosmic characters. It was decent enough, and showed that a sci-fi superhero like Superman should be in his wheelhouse.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I wish they'd re-teamed him with Pascual Ferry, one of the finest Superman artists of his generation. Ed McGuiness overshadowed him as the greatest Superman artist darned near ever, and even awful Doug Mahnke stole thunder with "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way," so Ferry never got his props.
Instead, there's Tony Daniel, who has somehow gotten away with having a long career on distinguished properties without ever displaying much in the way of talent. I could respect his "The Tenth" work, but his "serious" DC style always registers as fake to me. It's like he's pretending to be a straight artist by crosshatching very basic Jim Lee figures to the point where they're almost silhouettes. That kind of worked on Batman, but it's a terrible idea for Superman, especially as he keeps setting himself up with direct comparison to Lee (Justice League; Man of Steel.)