Inter-Action
"Ask Eddie" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Eddie Berganza's answers to questions fans put to him in March 2003:
Eddie's Answers
Tim (trwdayspring@aol.com) asks:Hey, I was wondering if you could fill me in a little better on the strategy y'all have planned for not just Superman but the whole "S" family this next year or so. I know you're coming out with several maxiseries and such, but is there anything else you can add?
Eddie: Well, currently we have the METROPOLIS maxi by Chuck Austen and Danijel Zezelj, which if you haven't been checking out, you should. It will make you believe Jimmy is a real photographer and will drastically change the way the tech in the city is percieved (and when the series ends, things won't be the same). And coming up in July we have SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT by Mark Waid, Lenil F. Yu and Gerry Alanguilan, which looks amazing and reveals new aspects of the legend of Superman.There's also SUPERMAN: IDENTITY by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen, which I'm not editing, but also looks great and deals with a guy named Clark Kent. It's not about who you think it is. So how's that?
Martin Alejandro Salinas (mas_el@yahoo.com) asks:
Rumors are that DC is going to make Superman support the war in Iraq, or something like that. I think that if Superman where real, he would support peace. What do you think, Eddie?
Eddie: Superman would be in favor of saving lives. DC will not be having Superman going to Iraq. He will be fighting an imaginary war against Zod, and any similarity to actual events is coincidental. Scary, but coincidental. We work on scripts and art at least three months ahead of when it hits stores, so the fact that the Super-books keep predicting events is as much a mystery to us as to anyone.
Dave R. (meesterchips@hotmail.com) asks:
Thanks for answering all our questions and I hope that you can answer this one. How do the "Smallville" stories correspond with the normal Superman comic books? Should we assume that it is in another continuity?
Eddie: Pretty much another continuity, but the show is so excellent because they've taken some of the best elements from the comics and tailored them to the needs of their show. We love the fact that SMALLVILLE's Lex dreams of being President one day. And the Christopher Reeve was just excellent!
Dan Kitlak (superdan352@aol.com) asks:
I have a question about Superman's x-ray vision. I know he can see through anything but lead. Why then must he move or remove his glasses, as Clark Kent, to use it. Do his specs cause some sort of magnification or other problems?
Eddie: This started in other media, where it gave the actor some business to do while he used his "X-Rays". We've taken it from there, and he does have to remove them to use heat vision so as not to melt them. It's just a habit for Clark now.
Ryan Ignatius Pratt (Pilgrim731@yahoo.com) asks:
What is your opinion of Lois and Clark's marriage? Personally, I love it and feel it has added much to the development of the Superman legend. With Lois' close and constant support and confidence, the Man of Steel has been further enabled to more adequately respond to the never-ending challenges of being Earth's Greatest Hero.
Eddie: Like any marriage, there are good days for it and then bad days for it. It can be a hindrance to certain stories, but then it also opens up other facets we can explore for the two together.
Gerry Beritela (gfberitela@aol.com) asks:
How do you respond to the MANY Supergirl fans who are lividly angry about what happened to Linda Danvers and Kara Zor-el? Is there ANY truth to the rumor that part of the reason for cancelling Supergirl and retiring Linda was to clear the way for Cir-el?
Eddie: They'll always have those Supergirls. We're collecting Peter David and Ed Benes excellent work in a trade very soon. Now, Cir-El had nothing to do with what was going on in SUPERGIRL. She was a part of Steve Seagal's overal story arc that will come to a head in SUPERMAN #200. Fact is at one point she was a Superboy, but I like the way Scott McDaniel draws girls, and it presented a different dynamic in the stories, since Kal and Linda really never interacted that much.
F.R. (email address withheld) asks:
Over the years, Superman has absorbed many different forms of energy: solar, anti-solar (WWIII), magnetic (Legends of DCU #6), 'beta' energy (Viroxx arc), chronal energy (T&TA), nuclear (Arclight). These energies... though falling under that vast comicbook rubric of 'cosmic energy'... are so radically different that the question is begged -- what energy can't Superman absorb? Also, do you think we'll ever see Superman pull another energy-drain win over an opponent a la his fights with Mageddon or Rampage? Doing so might make for a cool exploration of the energy-exchange mechanics of his power. And it looks cool, too!
Eddie: The abilities are there it's just a matter of what a particular writer wishes to explore.
rc (richcapo@yahoo.com) asks:
Eddie, when Superman imposes a 'psychic arena' upon reality (as he did within the Dominus Rex tower), how does it appear to viewers who are outside of its range... can they even comprehend this sort of odd tweak on reality? Also, when Superman cast that giant theta warrior image against Eradicator prior to OWAW, did other people see it or did Superman send it just to Eradicator; and did theta Eradicator and theta warrior cause much collateral damage during their fight, which occured, seemingly, off-panel?
Eddie: It's all in a psychic realm, unless there's a strong psychic around who can cause "echoes" to occur, it will not be evident to someone watching the fight the changes that are happening.
Ryan Piscitelli (ryanpiscitelli@hotmail.com) asks:
I've been a Superman fan all my life, and my favorite stories of the Man of Tomorrow were those from the beginning of the second volume. Forgive me if anyone has asked you this before, but are there any plans to re-print those older issues in a trade paperback form? Marvel (I hate to use the "M" word) has done an excellent job of marketing their older issues with the "Essential" titles, and I would LOVE to see DC do the same with Superman. I have a burning desire to go back and catch up on what I missed (because I was pretty much too young at the time), and it isn't entirely practical of me to just look for the orignal issues. Is this something I can look forward to in the future, or do I need to get my back issue hunting underway? Either way, thanks alot for your time.
Eddie: If you are referring to the John Byrne material, it will indeed be collected soon.
F. R. (email address withheld) asks:
Rather than "settle once and for all" the Supes vs Darkseid question.. some fans are actually complaining that Superman's ability to endure the Omega Effect is still dubious! Come on, it never was... he's had them point blank to his chest and face (Action #586, New Gods #10, OWAW, Apokolips Now!), and has blocked them with heat vision (!) -- which is in no way lethal or even that harmful to Superman. These naysayers like to claim that Superman dodging the Omegas in Apokolips Now! "proves" that Kal-El can't take them. Please... that was a tactically brilliant move, not an admission of weakness. The OE can't damage Supes... but it sure doesn't feel good, so why get hit -- especially when he's all ready proved he can take 'em like a champ? Case closed. Can I get a witness?
Eddie: Yup. If someone throws a punch at you, you move out of the way. Why should Superman be any different in that regard?
Thanks Eddie!!
Eddie: You're welcome!
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