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"Ask Eddie" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Eddie Berganza's answers to questions fans put to him in October 2013:
Eddie's Answers
liheibao asks:Since Superman is shown at a young age starting his adventures, what is the rationale for his never having been Superboy? In fact, Morrison's run reads more like a Superboy story, albeit updated, than a Superman story. Why the resistance to Clark as Superboy when you're kind of doing it anyway?
Eddie: I don't think he wanted to be called a "Superboy". Read issue #25 of ACTION and you see that Clark's ego was a bit more inflated and really did think of himself as a SUPERMAN.
And in present time we do have a Superboy in Kon.
Celia asks:
With Superman's 75th anniversary and DC's plans to mark this occasion, I wanted to also note that it is also Lois Lane's 75 year anniversary. A character that means, has meant and continues to mean a lot to many women over the ages, myself included. I was wondering if there are any specific plans to celebrate her 75th anniversary? Anything that Lois Lane fans can look forward to that respects her integrity and acknowledges her importance in the Superman books?
Eddie: Yes, I can only tease for now, but we are planning something for Lois that will give us more insight into Ms. Lane and her family with some shocking surprises.
godstaff asks:
Is there some kind of "Bible" describing all of Superman attributes to aid writers to be on the same page on things like power levels, how and where does the armor go when he's not using it, how far they can push the limits of his abilities, where exactly in the Arctic is the Fortress, and such? Or is each writer making things up as they go?
Eddie: No, there are certain things we keep check on, and work within certain guidelines - but the New 52 let our creators have a lot of fun in re-establishing some of these.
Michael J. Petty asks:
How challenging is it to edit all the Superman books and make sure that all the books fit into the current status of the Superman universe?
Eddie: You have to make sure that the vision stays consistent, while at the same time allowing writers and artists to leave their imprint on the character in their own immutable styles.
Michael Bailey asks:
What is the biggest difference between editing the books back in 1999 and editing them today?
Eddie: Whoa, great question, also one to make me feel old.
The books were more interconnected and the group I had working then - Jeph Loeb, Joe Kelly and Mark Shultz in particular - got into a great rhythm of creating stories that went from one book into the next keeping their own unique styles while also upping the stakes on the story. Look at OUR WORLDS AT WAR for a great example of that.
Today everyone has been doing their own thing, but I wonder if you would all want a return to that almost weekly style the books had? So what do you think?
Joey Marciel asks:
First off, welcome back to Superman! I admit that I have been very unhappy with the Superman writing and story lines since the new 52 to the point that I have stopped reading Superman all together. What type of changes, that you can speak of, are you planning to make to the Super books for us older fan boys if any?
Eddie: Well, that's what I am asking you all. Easy to say you don't like something, but give me a better clue as to what you would want to see?
We just added SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN with the team of Charles Soule and Tony Daniels, plus on ACTION Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder have come on, and I think these are great new voices to be adding to the New 52 Man of Steel mythos that will be creating some new challenges for Kal as well as touching on some classic themes.
Connor85 asks:
Any chance of seeing classic Superman supporting characters like Emil Hamilton, Dan Turpin, Bibbo Bibbowski, etc make a return to Metropolis? I gotta tell ya, Superman's cast feels a bit dry with a bunch of no name newbies running around right now. Would be nice for Metropolis to once again feel like a lived-in storied place.
Eddie: We are definitly looking at the cast and seeing what important part they can have. Lana is back in ACTION, and what part she will ultimately playing is gonna be unique to their relationship. As for the people you mention, there has been talk of one them coming back soon.
supertorresmo asks:
We've been told that The Death of Superman still happened in the New 52, but how does that fit exactly? We got a Super-Doom in Grant Morrison's ACTION, and I thought that was it, but now in the Villains Month the old Doomsday is back. Will we see explicitly how things fit in the New 52? Lots of details are still confusing. (Like the Erradicator).
Eddie: We are trying to work that out now. The DEATH OF SUPERMAN was a great epic story that you can still pick up and you should, so our exploration of what Doomsday has to have something new that will be surprising for new and old readers alike.
georgethree33 asks:
Everyone has their favorite rendition of Superman. For some, it's the John Byrne Superman. For others George Reeves on TV, or Christopher Reeve on film. Curt Swan's Superman, Siegel and Shuster's, Tim Daly's animated version, Henry Cavill in "Man of Steel" or Bob Holiday on stage. What I would like to know is - of the hundreds of different interpretations of Superman - what is YOUR preferred version of Superman? Which take on the character most clearly represents who Superman is to you, which resonates most personally with you? And please - no cheating - don't dodge the question by saying "all of the above - there's parts of each I enjoy." As fans we all enjoy multiple interpretations of Superman, but I would really like to know - if you Eddie B. could only have ONE take on the character - which interpretation would you choose?
Eddie: Can I have two? Christopher Reeve to start because there was just such an earnest quality to his portrayal, "I never lie, Lois." Classic. He truly made you believe a man could fly.
Now, secondly and for similar reasons, the early episodes of SMALLVILLE before he becomes the Blur because it was just about a poor kid who just want to be normal and he has all these powers growing in him. The first time his heat vision flares up was a great metaphor for being a teenage boy.
This is what we tried to capture waaaay back in the 90s, and it's beats that we are trying hit today in all the books, especially ACTION, where we are doing little cutaways like MAN OF STEEL did - which btw the young Clark's line to his father pleading that "I just want to be your son" hit us all like a speeding bullet to the heart.
T. A. Ewart asks:
Will we finally see the gaps of Superman's five year history filled in? Morrison's run filled in a part of it, but there's still a large amount of of undiscovered country that I would like to see explored.
Eddie: Ah, yes, there is still much to tell. Much. Keep reading.
John Fresco asks:
A good number of my friends have stopped reading Superman. They were long-time readers, too. What would you say to readers like them or readings thinking of dropping the books, to bring them back and keep others in the fold?
Eddie: I don't want to say anything, I want to show them what we have cooking for the next couple of months with all the Super-titles and let them decide.
I am very excited about what's coming up.
Steve asks:
Eddie, welcome back! You kicked off the "Ask Eddie" Fan Forum back in July 2001, and also had a 6 year run with the site before handing the reigns over to Matt in early 2006. Thanks for agreeing to come back and work with us here at the Superman Homepage.
Eddie, what are your aims and goals for the Superman books looking ahead?
Eddie: Tired of all this talk about Batman and even that Green Lantern guy getting the spotlight.
Time for the Last Son of Krypton to get his due, so stick around we just got done with the 75th Year, but I'm looking for a bright and really exciting New year in 2014 for Mr. Clark Kent!
Got a question you want to ask Eddie? Then be sure to fill in the form on the main "Ask Eddie" Fan Forum page.
"Ask Eddie/Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
You'll find links to our archives of past Questions and Answers on the main "Ask Eddie" Fan Forum page.