BREAKING: Keith Giffen to Replace George Perez as SUPERMAN Writer

Superman #1

We’re gonna call Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens “the cleaners” from here on out. According to a report from Newsarama, the team is swooping in to take over yet another series for a departing writer. First Green Arrow, now Superman. As of issue #7, George Perez will no longer script the series, though he will likely  stay on to aid Jurgens on art finishes. It is not clear where this leaves Jesus Merino, who’s finishing Perez’s pencils in this first batch of books.

This now means that Giffen, Jurgens, and Perez will eventually share the same division of duties on both Superman and Green Arrow.

Of course, Giffen and Jurgens are also part of the O.M.A.C. and Justice League International creative teams respectively. So they’ll be keeping busy.

It is also rumored that Giffen wrote this news post and will then pen tomorrow’s grocery list for all American families with surnames starting with the letters G and L, or the prefix O’. He hopes you like celery.

 

Comments

  1. Well OMAC and JLI were better than either Superman or Green Arrow, so… no real loss there, just hope Giffen doesn’t spread himself too thin. What about getting some new writers DC? I’ve loved the new 52 but it was sucessful enough and high-profile enough that you should be able to attract a couple more big names to write this stuff, instead of getting Giffen to cover for it all.

    • Forget “big names”… How about finding fresh, new talent who can write and draw the heck out of this new Superman? Big names may make some people pick up a book, but they certainly won’t keep reading it if the writing/art is sub-par, not for $2.99 a pop.

      While I have a great amount of respect for these creators, including Perez, DC really needs to stop dipping from the same well if they’re serious about telling “fresh, new” stories in the DCnU!

    • Agree with @Skruff. Especially given the long lead time, if the change isn’t going to be made until issue #7, why not give a fresher face a shot at this? If Fialkov is already doing backups in Action, might this not be an easy transition? Nathan Edmondson sounds like he’s way far ahead on Grifter, why not let him have a shot at this? Even if they want a slightly more established writer on the book, they could at least go with writers who aren’t already writing 2 or 3 other books in the DCU and who haven’t been doing so for the past 30 years. I’m hoping the Giffen/Jurgens team on this book is a temporary stopgap and we’ll see someone else on this book after they’ve done 2-4 issues.

    • Definitely, when I said big names I meant different people, they can be established comics names, established names outside of comics, or just good new blood, which we seem to be in dire need of. There’s so many brilliant young people around (you can see them in webcomics etc,) who would give their right arm for a chance at any of the big two, and both their arms for a chance at a book with the high-profile of superman.

    • I’d love to see Keron Grant’s superman some more honestly.

  2. The preview for this title turned me off big time and the reviews were less than stellar, so I’m happy to get a new creative team. With only two Superman titles and Action being set in the past, I wouldn’t mind picking up a present day title. I find it strange that DC turned to Giffen and Jurgens for both this and Green Arrow. I like that DC is quick to make creative changes but I wish there was a greater pool DC was pulling from. I hope this turns out well.

  3. Meanwhile, up-and-comers like Bryan Q. Miller are still MIA. Look, I like Giffen — he’s been a staple of my comic-reading life for a long time, but… to really make this relaunch work, I feel like DC really needs to be stretching and finding the fresh voices.

    • Couldn’t agree more.

    • I agree as well. Where’s Kelly Sue Deconnick? Nick Spencer? Heck, Get Steve Niles to do some horror. I’m glad they have Jeff Lemiere and Scott Snyder, but they already have work, as do Giffen, Jurges, etc. Piling more work on the guys you have is not the answer.

    • Bryan Q. Miller said he was doing something for DC that wasn’t one of the DCnU books. Maybe a OGN or a kid’s comic?

      Nick Spencer is Marvel exclusive, but he’s still doing THUNDER Agents for DC. Believe it’s back in November.

    • Kelly Sue DeConnick went on record before the relaunch even happened to say that she was largely too swamped to take on an ongoing.

      That said, I agree that DC needs to find more new writers. Marvel too, come to that. Bendis can’t write everything.

    • Bryan Q. Miller would have been a great replacement. He made Batgirl one of the best books on the stands.

    • This may be a last minute “get us back on schedule thing” Giffen and Jurgens can probably get a six issue run done in 3 months, buying DC time to get a good head start for a new team. Back in the old days many writers and artists were “cleaners” when a book got behind. As far as getting new talent, DC does have exclusive contracts and they HAVE to provide a minimum of work to those people. Once those people are taken care of, they can fill iin the gaps with some new talent, and many indy creators have confirmed pitching to DC on new 52 projects. Brian Clevinger from Atomic Robo pitched a Firestorm book. His initial concept was to get rid of the two people joining together and make make it one guy. DC shot it down. His pitch missed the entire point of the character. I read the rest of his adjusted pitch with Ronnie and Jason and I didn’t care for it. If faced with his pitch and a pitch by 2 well known names wioth built in fanbases, DC mad the smart choice. Just because someone does a good indy book doesnt mean they will do a good mainstream superhero book, and just becuase there arent many in the new 52 mix, it doesnt mean that DC didn’t try. and as been stated elsewhere many of the people whose name have come up are working on other things. “Bring in new talent” is a mantra for a jaded fanebase prone to complaining on the internet, but a lot of established readers make purchases based on creative teams they know and the elusive new reader that everyone talks about but no one has identified probably doesnt know fresh new guy from grizzled old fart and probably doesnt care.

  4. It is kind of weird they are stretching a handfull of non-superstar writers really thinly. There’s probably plenty of writers out there who could step up to the plate and give their full attention to a book. I wonder if all these guys are on a monthly salary instead of by book, so they can just shovel as much work to them as they want?

  5. I’ll write Superman if Giffen gets too busy!

  6. If Jurgens is taking over from Jesus Merino on the art then i’m definitely dropping this, DC should be trying to break in new talent not reuising the same creators who worked on the character 20 years ago.

  7. I agree with Ian. Was on the fence after issue 1 and with this news I believe I am no longer on the fence but will drop this title now. I am a huge Superman Fan and with Action being awesome I will get my fill there. Also, Superboy and Supergirl will fill in my Superman Family purchases. I am sad though that the relaunch failed for me on superbook.

  8. I feel like I’m the only person who seemed to like Superman. I don’t know if I really like the brooding Superman, though I like it when he has some personality.

  9. Generally, when a comic or any ongoing series has an unrelenting deadline and needs to be fixed fast (for whatever reason), you call someone that you know will get the job done. Then, with a finger firmly in the dike, you use the others to dial up the fresh crop of writers to get them started on something so you don’t end up in the same fix.

  10. Good god DC, why cant you ever get it together for Superman? Perez is no doubt a legend but I am so glad he is off the book, Giffen is definitely an upgrade but good god Jurgens on Superman? Count me out! Please DC, Superman deserves better, in fact he deserves the BEST.

  11. Superman #1 was the only Super-book I didn’t like, so this works out just fine for me.

  12. Ah, musical chairs creative teams. It has begun–again.

  13. I really don’t like how in contemporary comics a standard run is like 3-6 issues. Superman should have been one of your flagship titles with your best all-star talent lineup. To treat it like a b-list character with musical chairs teams is kinda sad. At least Action Comics is good.

    • I agree, but I don’t think they WANTED this to happen. It’s possible George couldn’t handle the workload, or he had a problem with Dan’s direction, or something like that. Either way, it’s not something they planned on, I don’t believe.

    • Maybe he hated the editorial mandate of Superman being such a di…ffrent person

    • Different doesn’t begin to describe it. Try emasculated. That final page where Clark turns up unexpectedly at Lois’s apartment was just too heavy handed in contrasting the Superman persona with Clark. It’s not like he’s exploring anything new here either. Coming after Superman’s walk across America, this is both an about face and a huge fall.

  14. Why doesn’t DC try to put a positive spin on this?

  15. I would love to see DC give Superman to Michael Green & Mike Johnson, since they already have Supergirl, would make for some great book-end storytelling.

  16. I think DC kind of dropped the ball by not getting Mark Millar on board since hes no nlonger exclusive, and say what you will about his work(as I certainly have) but you can’t deny that dude loves and certainly knows how to write some Superman. I’m positive the dude would have put stuff on hold to have to chance to write his favorite character again, and lets be honest, his name alone certainly is a guarantee to move some units.

    • There is no way Millar would have done this. He has stated that he made more money from the first issue of Kick Ass than he did from the first issue of Civil War, which sold better than any of the New 52. He makes more money and has full control over his creator owned work, and clearly now is enjoying those more as well.

      Secondly Grant Morrison is writing Action, and he and Grant are still feuding. Action is clearly the big gun Superman book for this relaunch, and I doubt Millar would want a back seat to Grant, just as Grant wouldnt want a back seat to Millar if DC made Superman the big book. You can’t have both of them, and DC wisely picked the one they have the best relationship and an exclusive contract with.

      Lastly DC seems commited to keeping a monthly schedule, and Millar hasnt gotten six books out in six months even with lead time in a very long time.

    • I’m pretty sure Millar would write Superman even if DC said they couldn’t pay him anything, he just loves the character. And I don’t see why Morrison and Millar have to be besties to work on the same character, Morrison has said he has no clue what Perez is doing on Superman so its obvious that they are giving each writer their own space.

  17. Has no-one at DC noticed that Green Lantern is far more in need of a new writer?

    • They have not, but they have noticed that with the current writer it has been a top selling book despite what the vocal minority of people who post on the internet and record podcasts may feel.

  18. Kurt Busiek would have been my choice.

    I know the 52 relaunch seemingly came together in a hurry but where were the editors in all of this? A little quality control would have gone a long way.

  19. Thank God!! This was hard t get through. I loved Perez’s run on Wonder Woman but that was a long time ago. Superman deserves a better writer. They succeeded with Action Comic, Batman and Wonder Woman, Superman needed more thought and quality behind it.