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"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives

Ask Matt Fan Forum Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him from April 2006:

Matt's Answers

Craig (craigmoore2001@yahoo.com) asks:
I know it's probably a little early to ask this, but are DC making any plans to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Superman in 2008?

Matt: Craig, Craig, Craig, didn't your parents teach you to live in the now, not the future? Seriously, I'm thinking more about 2007 at this juncture (not to mention now, of course). But if there is an anniversary celebration, I'll make sure you get an invite!



Will Courtney (fastcat7@stowe.nu) asks:
Hey, Matt! Best of luck with the new job. I had sort of a logistical question about what's been happening to Clark in the afermath of Infinite Crisis. During Part 2 of "Up, Up and Away," we can clearly (or not-so-clearly, as the case may be) see that Clark has become actually nearsighted - that he now needs those prescription glasses to see clearly. My question is, why? Before he got his powers as a kid, he could see fine, and ever time he's lost his powers before, he's never needed to wear corrective lenses to see correctly. How come he has to now?

Matt: While we don't come out and give a direct explanation for this, if you think about it once we reveal why Clark's powers are missing in the first place, I think you'll figure out the answer, Mr. Will. But if you don't, definitely ask the question again!



George Daniel (moonwing00@aol.com) asks:
Hi Matt welcome to the Superman comics, so far the run is great. Ok Superboy is dead... sucks, but the way he died was great. What's your take on Superboy and would you bring him back, or is he a goner?

Matt: Oh, come now, George, everyone knows that death in comics is real and lasts forever! Just ask Jason Todd! But seriously, I personally wouldn't consider bringing him back. Besides lessening the impact of his death, I just think we've reached a point in comics in general where death has horribly little meaning. So in a nutshell, he's a goner.



akalel (imsuperfan@yahoo.ca) asks:
Hi, first thanks for answering our questions, it's a shame that DC Comics got ride of the old letter columns in the comics. Here is my question when you were hired on as editor for the Superman comics did you go back and read any old stuff? If so, what did you read and what are your favourite Superman books/issues from yesteryear?

Matt: Hola, Akalel! I most certainly did do a lot of reading, obviously for continuity and character sake, but also to try and get a better sense of what I thought did and didn't work in some of the prior runs. I had a really good time doing it, too! However I don't think I want to get into what my personal faves were, lest I offend anyone.



Emy (q9a8z7w6s5x4@gmail.com) asks:
Hi, Matt! I was reading the July solicitation for SUPERMAN #654, and it said "[Superman] also faces trouble with Lois, [and] looming problems involving Lana Lang". Please tell me this is not the return of "homewrecker Lana". I don't think I'd be able to handle it again.

Matt: Well I hate to tell you this, Emy, but Lana will most certainly be returning, though I think it's safe to say she'll be losing that "homewrecker" status. All of us working on the books take Clark and Lois' marriage seriously, and wouldn't want to ruin it. Also, and forgive me if I've said this before, but everyone knows we're not going to break up the marriage, so pretending to by bringing in Lana or anyone else would just be a waste of your time.



SuperDoc (RJKAMA@hotmail.com) asks:
Hello Matt, I have a question, not about Superman, but about you... and how it will reflect on Supes. We've seen some inhomogenous portrayals of Superman over the last couple of years all within the same continuity. Would we expect you to be more hands on in maintaining a basic theme, or would you let the writer's creative perogerative prevail? Basically what I'm asking is: would you have stepped in on something like the Austen run, and said, "that's not Superman, change the dialogue...", or, would you have stayed in the background being content to have no spelling errors...

Matt: That's a great question, SuperDoc (are you actually a doctor? 'cause I've got this rash...) I have, I think, a pretty clear idea of what I consider in character for Clark and the gang, and what I think is out of character, and it's something I think is crucial to the quality of the books (both individually and how they play off one another). It's a viewpoint that Geoff and Kurt share as well, so I think I can safely say you won't be seeing Clark eating donuts in one book and destroying them with his heat vision in another. While the two books won't regularly cross over with each other like they're doing now, they most definitely inhabit the same universe and use the same characters, so consistency is very important here.



Thanks again for answering our questions.

Matt: Any time, folks! Any time!



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