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Ask Matt Fan Forum Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in May-June 2008:

Matt's Answers

Brian Daugherty (Email address withheld by request) asks:
A question not relating directly to storylines, but something that I've always wondered about as a fan: whether it's Superman fighting a villain, or other heroes fighting villains, it always seems like there's a lot of property damage. Assuming that people in the DCU are like people in the real world, I would think that a) a lot of folks would be angry (to say the least) to see their homes and cars destroyed and b) calling for government intervention to prevent such things from happening in the future. I've never seen it addressed in comics however, as it seems like each issue all is fine and normal. Is it? Is the DCU a relatively safe place to live, or do folks have to buy "superhuman" insurance for their homes, cars, etc.?

Matt: Well that's certainly a new one for me, Brian. We're usually kind of reticent to get too far into the nitty-gritty of things like this, lest we start killing the magic. Having said that, I think the attitude most normal folks in the DCU have is that the world is indeed a dangerous place, but that's owing more to the rampaging villains and the like. Take a look at SUPES #675 - sure, Superman caused a heck of a lot of damage bringing down that Galactic Golem, but think how much more damage and the incomprehensible number of lives that would have been lost if he hadn't intervened? Every now and then we'll show the heroes helping to clean up the mess/rebuild things, but that's not really the most interesting thing to focus on, so we don't tend to fixate on it. As for insurance, I'll bet it isn't offered in certain DCU cities - sort of like flood insurance!



Captain Kal (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Is this just a coincidence? Given Geoff Johns' wonderful 'emotional spectrum' that he keeps pushing, yellow is defined as the colour of Fear. But Superman is well-documented as deriving most of his power from yellow sun rays. Does Johns mean to imply Superman's power is fear-based? Did Johns think through the implications to DC's flagship character?

Matt: What? Geoff not consider the far-ranging implications of his actions? Blasphemy! Actually, the emotional spectrum that Geoff talks about has to do with, well, emotions as opposed to every object in the universe that might share a given color. Our sun is no more an aspect of fear than a banana. The key difference is that the emotional spectrum draws on sentient elements. You may insert a sentient banana joke here.



Glen Sannem (GRSannem@yahoo.com) asks:
Thanks for taking the time to answer our Qs every month (or when you can)! I was wondering if Johns and/or Robinson will be named the writer(s) of SUPERGIRL, since her book is going to be integrated into the Superman books if I read it right, or if it's even too early to announce a change from Puckett to another writer?

Matt: There indeed will be a new writer coming aboard, Glen, though I'm not yet at liberty to reveal who it is. I can say that it isn't Geoff or James, but that this person will be working VERY closely with both of them as we make SUPERGIRL a partner with equal standing in the SUPERMAN line.



Nate (i_eat_goat_blood@yahoo.com) asks:
In terms of Superman's origin, is Geoff Johns (and James Robinson) going to retell it in an arc like his Green Lantern "Secret Origin" arc or in a mini or maxi-series?

Matt: Fair question, Nate. The plan right now is to tell it in an arc running between SUPES and ACTION.



Lou D (chi_dago-oic@yahoo.com) asks:
Your response to Richard Scott about the New Earth/Earth-1 confusion seems to contradict itself. He asks you if in the Tangent series, "was 'Earth-1' a faux pas", and you state "I guess it was a faux pas", meaning it was a mistake to call it Earth-1 but then you say Earth-1 is the correct terminology. Has New Earth been renamed as Earth-1, meaning there is now an Earth-52, or does the Tangent series take place on New Earth?

Matt: Oop! One of the first things they taught us in junior high school English is that "clarity of communication is key." Guess I just failed. What I meant to say, Lou, is that calling our Earth anything other than "Earth-1" was a faux pas, not that calling it "Earth-1" in the TANGENT book was the faux pas. Do I get any makeup points for extra credit?



Byron Papandreou (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Now that the Multiverse is back, we know that Superman has many counterparts in these worlds. Are we going to see more of them in future storylines? Plus what's going to happen with Jimmy Olsen?

Matt: Hey, Byron! I think we'll be giving the Multiverse and its denizens a bit of a rest for a while - heaven knows we just saw our fill of it over the last year or so. Sometime down the road, maybe Supes will take a field trip, but not for a while. As for Jimmy, James in particular has some big, big plans for Superman's pal, starting in October.



Jorge Antonio Villasana Solorio (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Matt, first of all, I thank you for taking your time to answer fan's questions. My question is about Superman's relationship with his cousin Kara. Now, speaking as an only child, if one day I would find out that I have a long lost sister (or cousin) I would never let her out of my sight. Let alone if she was another survivor of my birth culture! Now, given the recent James Robinson interview and Kara's considerable exposure in "Smallville" (season 7 was practically 60% Kara, 40% Clark!), and speaking as a Supergirl fan, can you please confirm if there are concrete plans to increase Kara's presence in Superman's titles as an active part of Clark's life, and not just Superman's guest shots in her own title?

Matt: Hey there, Jorge. We do indeed have some rock-solid plans to increase Kara's presence in both Clark and Superman's lives, in ways that will be seen in all three Superman titles, and of course certain elements from Superman's books will be making their way into Kara's book as well. Wait til you see ACTION #868!



Mark Pennington (lmpennington@comcast.net) asks:
Matt, I appreciate you putting yourself on the firing line like this and answering the tough questions. Here's mine: How does the SUPERMAN/BATMAN comic tie into main DCU continuity? At times, it seems a fairly tight fit. Other times, it's pretty obvious that the action is taking place on some "other Earth." What's your take on this?

Matt: Yeah, that book's a weird one, Mark. It does kind of drift in and out of "real" continuity, depending on the story. I know not everyone likes that aspect of the title, but you have to admit it allows the creators there to tell some pretty wild story that they otherwise couldn't tackle if the book was strictly in continuity.



Steve Younis: Thanks Matt! With the comic convention season almost upon us, what cons can fans meet you at this year?

Matt: I'll be attending Comic Con in San Diego, but sadly, that's it for me this year. Seems the Powers That Be actually want me to stick around and do some work for a change. Hope I get to meet some of you folks who have written in!



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