Ali reports from DC's "New 52" panel, one of the hottest seats at SDCC 2011 Day One.
From the size of the line, you’d think the cast of GLEE was in Room 6DE. But it was DC Comic’s first in a series of The New 52 panels. Dan DiDio opened the panel in his usual fashion, polling the audience on why they were scared, worried and nervous about the new launch. Fans voiced concerns about losing characters, liking things the way they were, and losing diversity, both within the cast of DC characters and the creators. DiDio explained this new launch was designed to make the book better, more accessible and vibrant, and this series of four panels was meant to win fans over.
So let’s get to the books!
Dan Jurgen’s Justice League International is an officially sponsored UN organization led by Booster Gold. Red Rocket, Fire, Ice, Lady Godiva from Flashpoint (god I hope she’s not naked), and Vixen round out the rest of the team. Scott Lobdell chatted about Teen Titans for a bit, joking, “How many people are sure I’m gonna screw it up?” He’s planning on writing the characters from scratch and not rehashing the old versions of the characters that we’ve seen.
Cliff Chang talked about his work on the new Wonder Woman – who, it should be noted, was pictured without “pants”. A new character Zola with the Anger of the Gods inside her recruits Diana’s help. Chiang said he was focused on making the art more lively and give it the feeling of being hand drawn, particularly given the digital format of the books. When asked about the new costume design, Chiang quipped that Diana had “retractable pants”. (Pants or no pants, I'm really freaking excited about this book!!)
J.T. Krul was on hand to talk about Captain Atom and Green Arrow. The former will deal with the isolation of Nathaniel Adam coping with the powers of a god. Artist Freddie Williams said he was inking Captain Atom in a separate gray wash to pull him visually out of the world. Green Arrow sees Ollie back heading up a company (Q-Corp, an Apple-type corporation). We’ll see more trick arrows and ramped up tech. Art on the book is by Dan Jurgens with inks by George Perez.
The ever enthusiastic Paul Cornell talked about Demon Knights and Stormwatch. He described Demon Knights as “Swords and Sorcery and Superheroes” – something you’ll like if you’re enjoying Game of Thrones. The title takes place during the brutal end of Camelot and will connect with the rest of the DCU “I’ve got the entire medieval DC universe to play with!” Cornell also mentioned a new character in Demon Knights when the issue of diversity in DC’s comics was brought up during the Q&A. He described Horse Woman as “my Clint Eastwood” – there’s a bit of magic involved, but she rides a horse because she can’t walk.
Stormwatch looks to have “insane sci, big monsters, and team falling apart at the seems.” Cornell said the team has always been in the DCU, dealing with the dark and dirty. They see themselves as professionals who “do it better than the amateurs in capes.” Apollo and Midnighter are still gay and Stormwatch will be fighting the moon. (Paul Cornell was easily the most endearing person on this panel)
A very witty Paul Levitz is back doing Legion of Superheroes #1 “for the third time. They’re going to make me do it until I get it right,” Levitz joked. The book will open with a modest group of characters to build from there. Letitz joked that “[Paul Cornell] may have the whole medieval universe to work with but I’ve got the future!”
On to the audience questions!
When are we getting the Marvel Family? DiDio said they were “trying to line it up with other aspects if the company” but we’d see something in the next wave of books. (Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like we’ll see a SHAZAM movie for TV show?)
A fan burnt out by all the crises asked “do you have your shit together?” Joking aside, both Bob Harras and Dan DiDio took the question very seriously. They said they were well aware people are putting a lot of money down on these new books and they’re working hard to put their best foot forward “and I think we’re gonna deliver,” said Harras. “I take this very seriously … I’m very determined to give you something back.”
… Neil Gaimen has an open invitation to write for DC…
… The last issue of Booster Gold will address if Booster “knows” there was a reboot…
Ganthlet asked a question about books outside the initial launch of 52 titles and DiDio promised that “We are not going to miss shipping on these books. We’re not going to announce a book unless we have it. We found that books that weren’t coming out on time weren’t selling the way they should.” Also, Paul Levitz is on a new Huntress mini-series coming out in the fall.
A fan spoiled what’s going on in Green Lantern and then asked continuity question. DiDio express how it’s very important to address this new timeline issue. The Superman in Action Comics is a Superman emerging as the first hero in the DCU. JLA is the history of the team first coming together. Eddie Berganza has a very specific timeline plotted out for all the new books. Now, one could ask “Isn’t that going to confuse new readers?” (no one did, out loud anyway). But DiDio assured the crowd that the books are designed to give readers all that history at once.
The question of where Wally and his family were was brought up. An off-handed “They’re somewhere” was the initial answer. DiDio said Wally will not be in the new Flash book. The book is showcasing the uniqueness of the Flash and how he’s the only one doing what he does. And to do that, there could only be one Flash, and that was Barry Allen. When asked what happened to the Speed Force book that was being sparked out of Flashpoint., DiDio joked “Why do people listen to me?” (basically, the bottom line is Wally gone and he’s not coming back…. Dick Grayson is on borrowed time, my friends).
… A lovely Australian fellow asked why the decision was made to not touch the Legion, and that’s when Paul Levitz explained what blackmail was…
Opening with “I mean no malice by the question whatsoever” a fan asked about Barbara Gordon as Oracle. The answer: “We’re always going to have a Batgirl and the one who is the most known is Barbara Gordan.” It was done to reach the widest audience, but DC promised they were adding diversity where they could.
… There were three non-questions in a row about the price point for digital being too high…
…“This new Superman costume is bugging the hell outta me” how does he cover it up when he’s Clark Kent? “He can fold it up very small”…
… We will see Booster time travel in JLI but not at first…
… There will be other characters from the Authority in Stormwatch – there are 9 members of Stormwatch…
… DC is working with Barnes and Noble and revamping subscription options to get comics in more places…
When the non-question “THUNDER Agents, Xombi, Stephanie Brown” was asked, the answer was “yes, no, yes”. DiDio mentioned a second THUNDER Agents volume to be published in November by Nick Spencer (“wait… isn’t he Marvel exclusive these days” was not a question that was asked).
… We’ll see more Latino characters…
… the “new” Roy is from before he had any children (and presumably before lost his arm)…
… “Is it still canon that Lex Luthor stole 40 cakes? Cause that’s terrible!” was the best question of the session…
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Thanks for covering that, Ali. Those of us who can’t be there at SDCC and wonder about the fanbase reacting to the 52 are now satiated. Keep the articles coming!
🙂
If JLI is the UN’s officially sanctioned super-team, where does that leave Stormwatch??
They’ve got to fight for the status, Highlander-style.
JLI vs Stormwatch, go!
THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!
This is good stuff. Nice work indeed. I’m sad to say that this does make me lose interest in the upcoming Flash book. I loved Mark Waid’s work on Flash because a big part of his run was about legacy. Geoff Johns’ work with Wally West touched on this a bit too. That was missing in the post-Flash: Rebirth relaunch and it sounds like this will be continuing in the latest version. So, I think I’m saying goodbye to the Flash for a while. Really disappointing.
Excellent first question. Not an icredibly satisfying answer, but it’s good to know it’s at least being discussed.
I’ve been iffy on the Wonder Woman book, but I do love the look of that art. And it’s nice to see they’re trying to get books into more places. Barnes & Noble already sells single issues, but the selection is abysmal.
Glad to hear someone asked the Marvel Family question.
yes! Latinos, any minorities would generate greater interest.
But how was the protest?
I’m so excited for Cornell’s books. They are going to be mad awesome.
First off, Paul, thanks for the article. Feel free to provide as much detail as you can!
Wow, the art on these sample pages looks AMAZING. I think a lot of my initial concerns about the artist choices are being allayed the more I see. There were, for me, a lot of unfamiliar names initially, but seeing is believing. My LCS had a free “DC Comics – The New 52!” promo book this week with a lot of art I hadn’t seen before, plus a 6-page JLA preview. There are some great looking books coming this September. Still not sure about some of the writing choices…
@JeffR Makes me sad too – Wally was the first Flash I read during the Waid years. Sure, I went back and read Barry, and Jay in the JSA and such, but Wally will always be my Flash. You also touched on my biggest complaint about the reboot – we’re losing all the legacy that has been established. To me, the fact that we have young heroes who pick up the mantle of older/retired/deceased heroes made the DCU that much more special than any other comic universe. That’s why I love the JSA so much – having a group of older, veteran heroes guiding the young heroes of the future is such a great idea. I hope DC can address this and not lose this rich heritage.
@oblivious247 WW is one of the books I WILL buy. Looks great, and Azarello? Sold! Also, my local B&N has a BIG selection of single issues. Mostly Marvel and DC, but some indies. I’d bet they stock 30 DC titles and 30 Marvel titles. This is a good thing!
@kennyg The credit goes to Ali. She sent this in from San Diego.
Wonder Woman looks awesome in that picture. So much better without pants!
Thanks, Ali for the recap. Much appreciated! 🙂
I’m just wondering what a “non-question” is… Does that mean somebody stood up and just talked instead of asking a question, and so nobody really answered? Or that the questions don’t really mean anything? Because I actually am wondering about the digital pricing structure that DC set up, because it does seem way too high (for me to support).
@DMaggot I wasn’t there, but it probably means the person made a statement or series of statements and rambled without directly posing a question. The question was implied.
What’s the status on the cake situation? That’s really the decider on the this entire reboot for me.
@PaulMontgomery Ah, I see. Well I guess I’m a little disappointed DC didn’t give good answers then, or address the issue some more.
But great article overall. I am looking forward to seeing how many of these turn out, even if I won’t be buying many myself.
I give Lobdell credit with that joke because he clearly knows he’s gotta win A LOT of people back with his writing.
@RapidEyeMovement The cake is a lie.
I’m suprised no one asked about the JSA.
I would have thought that DC would have come out strong at SDCC and really explained the differences from what we know. Obviously this isn’t One Year Later, so status quos shouldn’t be mysteries they should be on the front page. I don’t feel alot of excitement from these creators, just more like assignments.
@onetone I think no one asked about the JSA because they were afraid or didn’t want to know the answer.
Im annoyed at how theyre treating Wally tell me what makes sense here
Barry was “Flash”ing for 32 years, 1956 to 1986 and 2(? that when Rebirth happened) 2009-2011
Wally was “Flash”ing for 51 years, 1960 (KF) to 2011
But becuase Barry is the original flash of Earth 1 Wally just gets written off and the past 25 years of Wally dont matter. Its so damn irritating. I like Barry, I do. But Wally has SO much more personality. Im 23 years old. I dont care about Barry Allen the way I do about Wally. ABD:JOASD:KLASLDN:LASD:LJKNAS
Hes not even my favorite character but he was always a good flash!
/rant
Wally is gone … and he’s not coming back. Wow. Harsh!
Everyone comes back. It’s just a matter of how and when.
Why does the Flash family always have to suffer most in these reboots. Is it the red shirts?
I wouldn’t mind so much if he met a heros death but just being written out of the story…? Who’d he piss off? Did he ask for too much money in his contract negotiations?
@kennyg And that’s terrible.