Comic News: New Batman and Superman Series on Their Way

[Kefkataran]

Recently announced, though very much passed over in discussions, two new titles will be coming soon from DC Comics. Batman Confidential and Superman Confidential will each focus on the early years of their respective title characters. They will have semi-in-continuity stories and rotating teams for each arc, similar to JLA: Classified and JSA: Classified. Newsarama (http://www.newsarama.com) has interviews up with one half of each of the books' first arc creative teams. First, from Batman Confidential, they interview (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73448) writer Andy Diggle, who will team up with artist Whilce Portacio:

“It was my feeling that DC had tried so hard to ground Batman in a gritty urban ‘reality’ in the post-Dark Knight era, maybe they’d lost sight of that fact that at its heart it’s still supposed to be a superhero comic. And I passionately believe that superhero comics should be about speed and energy and movement, thrilling adventures and spectacular action. Not just, y’know, whining and soap. So my story begins as a mystery, develops into a conspiracy, and then explodes into all-out, balls-to-the-wall chunky robot action.”

They follow up with an interview (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72997) with Tim Sale, who will be doing art chores with Darwyn Cooke writing on Superman Confidential:


“Darwyn had dug up the first kryptonite story from 1949 by Bill Finger and Al Plastino and we took that as our jumping off point,” Sale explained. “Our version is very different in both style and plot, but there are structural things in the tale that are similar. It's really Darwyn's baby, we didn't discuss much, only things like what I think is fun to draw, and Darwyn's instincts along those lines are really good.

Holy crap. Darwyn Cooke and Tim Sale is a dream team. And chunky robot action? Count me as sold for at least the first arcs for both of these books. If they can keep as interesting as the JLA/JSA Classified stuff, I'll stay on. The only question is just how much Batman and Superman's early years can be mined.

[Dr.Finger]

This could be great news. I just hope that these books are as good as JLA & JSA Classified can be at times and not as bad as Legends of the Dark Knight has gotten.

[Jack Random]

It can't be any worse then ASBARTBW right?

[Kefkataran]

Jack, seeing that acronym made me almost pee my pants. It's so long! :P

But yeah, Legends of the Dark Knight is a good example of a rotating creative team book that isn't very good. JLA/JSA Classified has been really good at times, and consistently solid even when not amazing. If the kick-off teams are any indication, these series will be on that level.

[Deadend]

Damn, DC seems to be doing fairly awesome this year.

[Kefkataran]

Lots of exciting new stuff, at least. I realized most of my front page comic posts have been about DC lately, and I'm a little embarassed by that... but I'm hoping Marvel starts hitting us with some stuff to get excited for in 2007 soon.

[Ghostbear]

As i am a whore for just about anything batman, i'll probably buy it 8)

[reptilezero]

i'd rather have gritty urban reality. give me arkham asylum any day. now THAT was a good comic.

[fitbabits]

Oooooh, now this may be just what I needed to get me back into comics!

[Moatman]

I don't know if it's because I'm a continuity-whore or what, but this doesn't excite me very much unfortunately. Legends of the dark knight is quite underwhelming, the two "...Classified" series' haven't had a good track record(with me at least) in the short time they've been around, and then there's the whole all star batman issue...though I do like all star superman.

I understand that as time goes on, continuity has to be slightly elastic to allow for changes in time(all the people who fought in world war two from marvel and dc, for example) but the whole thing with just retconning or redoing totally the history of things is getting a bit bad. DC is a much worse offender, though they can blame it all on superboy prime punches... Marvel's continuity was kind of non-existent for a while, with house of M and civil war they seem to be working on that, which I like.

Maybe these two series will get just the right formula and be enjoyable stories, but my expecations are unfortunately pretty low.

Batman stories where there is no outside-force that drives batman and his supporting cast and that leaves an element of uknown to the story just don't have a strong emotional impact, you know who lives and dies from the main cast, everyone else is potentially a red-shirt.

With Superman it's even worse, he's nearly godlike(depending on your continuity...) and the real drama comes in seeing him protect the people he cares about and stopping the evil plans of the villains. With it being in the past we know that the villains don't take over the world or blow up metropolis, that everything works out but maybe some people might not be saved.

Out of continuity works sometimes(maybe 50%, looking at the all-star books...) but then it's just an elseworlds book, which I actually miss...I know that the good-ratio for elseworlds wasn't super-high, it was a nice change of pace.

I guess I'm just a "hatah" with some things, still sailing on the continuity-high that has been infinite crisis/52/OYL and also Civil War.

[Lizard Dude]

balls-to-the-wall chunky robot action

This gave me a horrible mental image. Curse you Portacio!

[Kefkataran]

but the whole thing with just retconning or redoing totally the history of things is getting a bit bad. DC is a much worse offender, though they can blame it all on superboy prime punches... Marvel's continuity was kind of non-existent for a while, with house of M and civil war they seem to be working on that, which I like.

Yeah, the continuity retcon stuff can be annoying, but overall I just try to ignore it and watch for them to do goo dstories, continuity or not. DC does happen to have a MUCH tighter continuity right now than ever, even given some of the IC silliness.


Out of continuity works sometimes(maybe 50%, looking at the all-star books...) but then it's just an elseworlds book, which I actually miss...I know that the good-ratio for elseworlds wasn't super-high, it was a nice change of pace.

These are sort of in-continuity, though. I mean, it's like the JLA/JSA books. They're kind of in-continuity but a little bit stretchy also.

This gave me a horrible mental image. Curse you Portacio!

Heh, that was actually Diggle. :)

[digitalErich]

Lots of exciting new stuff, at least. I realized most of my front page comic posts have been about DC lately, and I'm a little embarassed by that... but I'm hoping Marvel starts hitting us with some stuff to get excited for in 2007 soon.

Meh, the only people that would care if there was a DC/Marvel bias are already reading the comics forum and the discussions have been dominated by Civil War talk anyway. I don't know, good comics are good comics...I could give two shits about what label is in the top left corner of the cover.

[Kefkataran]

Meh, the only people that would care if there was a DC/Marvel bias are already reading the comics forum and the discussions have been dominated by Civil War talk anyway. I don't know, good comics are good comics...I could give two shits about what label is in the top left corner of the cover.

Exactly. That's how I always have and always will feel.

[SexualChoc]

Sign me up! I never read Dark Knight, so this should be good. I always wanted a story of Superman's early years. Smallville is good, so if it's something like that, I am happy.

[Kefkataran]

I wonder if it will be that early, choc? I guess they did say he's just first discovering his powers, so probably... hm..

[SexualChoc]

I wonder if it will be that early, choc? I guess they did say he's just first discovering his powers, so probably... hm..

Well it would have to be something like that, or when he first donned the tights. What with the recent lawsuits concerning the Superboy rights, it'll have to be either of them. Though current continuity Superman never became Superboy did he?

[Kefkataran]

Well it would have to be something like that, or when he first donned the tights. What with the recent lawsuits concerning the Superboy rights, it'll have to be either of them. Though current continuity Superman never became Superboy did he?

That was the truth before Infinite Crisis. After, no one's really sure. At the very least, we know there have been spottings of Superman when he was younger before he was full-out Superman. Presumably a series like this could answer that continuity question for us.

[SexualChoc]

That was the truth before Infinite Crisis. After, no one's really sure. At the very least, we know there have been spottings of Superman when he was younger before he was full-out Superman. Presumably a series like this could answer that continuity question for us.

Yeah. Perhaps even touching on Batman and Superman's first meeting. That would be nice to see.

[Kefkataran]

oh, yeah. That would. That could be a Batman/Superman confidential crossover! ;)

[digitalErich]

Out of continuity works sometimes(maybe 50%, looking at the all-star books...) but then it's just an elseworlds book, which I actually miss...I know that the good-ratio for elseworlds wasn't super-high, it was a nice change of pace.

I frickin love Elseworlds...can't wait for DC to bring them back. I'm hoping that when and if they do come back, they do a higher percentage of non Superman/Batman books. I'd love to see some Elseworlds with Flash, Nightwing, or maybe Martian Manhunter. Sure, they weren't always the best comics, but when they were good, they were great and when they were just OK, they were still fun just for the conceptual ideas alone.