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March 13, 2010: DC Comics Panel Coverage from MegaCon - Orlando, Florida

In attendance: Dan Didio, Tony Bedard, Rob Hunter, Mark McKenna, Stephane Roux, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner and Justin Gray

During the panel, I sat in the front row and at one point, Dan Didio asked me not to quote him as saying, "It's exciting."

The panel began with an audience member congratulating Didio for his new position. He said, "There's a lot of changes going on at DC. And that's not to say that anything's broken. As a matter of fact, there's a lot going on right now just to make the company better, to take better care of the characters and to push them in new directions. What you're going to find is that there's a much stronger sense of how we take the core of what makes DC characters great and try to use that across the many brands of Warner Brothers and try to make them bigger and better. People have recognized the strength of our characters, what they are and what they're about. It's clear that they're in the American psyche and the world psyche right now and it's our goal to make them even bigger than they are.

"We know the core base that we have right now, the loyalty of the fans as in the people who come to the conventions and go into the stores every week. But what we know is that there are more people out there that really want to enjoy what we do. And our goal is to reach as many people as possible with the best product possible. It's a little daunting, but it's a really exciting time."

When Brightest Day comes out, don't let the title fool you. It's about second chances. The key is that a number of major characters in the DCU will get a second chance.

Rob Hunter (Inker on Justice League of America) was asked if he prefered one set cast or a rotating cast of characters in the book. He explained that sometimes he can be confused which characters are being drawn, so he prefered a set cast. Didio answered as well, stating that he was a fan of the Justice League from the 1970's when there were about 18 rotating members. "It's always been a big team."

One audience member asked if there would be a cover of Justice League of America that didn't feature the team defeated and scattered on the ground.

Concerning the upcoming War of the Supermen, Didio stated that the war lasts 100 minutes in comic book time. It feels really intense and happens so fast that some characters won't even hear about it until it's already over. Also, it isn't just Earth and New Krypton because the Daxamites are involved too. The orginal idea was to have the war last about three minutes and show what happens with all of those characters as though it's all happening at once, but Paul Levitz suggested it should take longer, and thus it's now 100 minutes.

There are currently no plans for the 70's anniversary of the Justice Society of America.

When asked if there will be a resurgence of Elseworlds stories, Didio explained that those stories were getting plain and repetetive. We would see Batman as a knight, a cowboy and as a Green Lantern and the concept got old. However, Grant Morrisson is working hard on Multiverse stories that are similar, but grander in scope.

Jimmy Palmiotti jokingly reminded Didio that he pitched an Elseworlds story where Superman's ship landed at the bottom of the ocean. He lives there under water, but then we learn that he's not normal size, but about 80 feet tall. So he walks out of the ocean onto Japan and starts eating people. He said at least his idea wasn't as obvious as Batman being Sherlock Holmes.

Amanda Conner admitted that drawing Powergirl as a monthly comic was too much work for her, so after issue 12 a new team (which will be announced later) will take over the book exactly where the current team leaves off.

The Superman: Earth One graphic novel will be released later this year, followed by Batman early next year and some others that haven't been announced yet will come after that.

One audience member noted that the end of Justice League: Cry for Justice was disturbing. Didio responded that "I thought it was an incredibly well written story, because the level of impact that it had with so many people, both positive and negative, shows that to was able to deliver." A story like that is never going to acheive full acceptance, but it hit hard and was done well. It's a tough story, but the ramifications for the whole Universe are huge. "It's exciting."

Didio accidentally let slip that there'll be a new Green Arrow book which wasn't supposed to be announced yet. This is apparently what happens when Bob Wayne doesn't hold his hand during panel discussions (Don't hate me, Dan).

Didio described the first 2 issues of the upcoming Legacies miniseries, explaining that it's a generational story of the DC Universe. The first issue will begin with The Mystery Men and end with the Senate Subcommittee hearings and the Justice Society going away. It will be drawn by Andy Kurbert and inked by Joe Kubert. The second issue will start off with Superman as the first public superhero and will go until the edge of the first Crisis. Issue 2 will be drawn by Garcia Lopez.

I was able to ask a few questions as well. Although it's not Superman related, I asked if there were any plans for a Martian Manhunter book. Didio questioned, "Isn't he dead?" So I responded "True, but it's comic books. He'll be back," which the rest of the audience seemed to appreciate. The question I did not get to ask was "How long do you think it will take for the new Flash series to rejoin the old numbering?"

I also asked about the new creative team on Superman after New Krypton completes. Didio explained that he is in awe of J. Michael Straczynski's writing and that if Justice Leage: Cry for Justice was hard for you, you'll probably prefer Straczynski's Superman. He has a particular story he wants to tell and has apparently been working on it for years. There's a sensibility from Brave and Bold that's going to come into Superman.

After New Krypton, the triangle numbering system will stop and Superman and Action Comics will be their own books again. When asked by another audience member, he said he couldn't say what happens to Mon-El, Nightwing, Flamebird and the rest of the secondary cast.

"It's exciting." - Dan Didio

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