Inter-Action
"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in June 2010:
Matt's Answers
Esther (ealperin@yahoo.com) asks:Just wondering about this rogues gallery villain called Mirabai... she's been popping up in the Superman and Supergirl comic books... Any chance of seeing a backstory/origin thing with her?
Matt: Hi, Esther. Not sure we'll get to see Mirabai's origin, I'm afraid. Overall reaction to General Lane's magical ally and the weaponry she brought to the table was pretty poor, and we ended up truncating her story, wrapping things up in the final installment of the Captain Atom co-feature in ACTION. But hey, if enough people get together and petition, we'll bring her back!
Emy (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hey Matt, how's it going? I have to say I'm extremely worried about the interview Paul Cornell did for Newsarama. Lois and Lex made for each other? Lois as Lex's girlfriend? Please tell me there's a huge twist we're not getting yet, because Lois is my absolute favorite character, I have been missing her a lot in the Super books lately and reading that interview did nothing to lift my spirits...
Matt: Well yours is definitely the most sane, reasoned reaction to Paul's interview that I've seen, Emy, and I thank you for that! I don't think any of us anticipated the level of concern and outrage that Paul's interview sparked, and I thought he said it best on his Twitter account afterwards that this element is very, very small in context to the larger story he's weaving. I promise you, Emy, your spirits will be lifted.
Larry (Email address withheld by request) asks:
With sales having dropped in the regular monthlies due, apparently, to Superman's absences in ACTION and SUPERMAN, why would you have a new story line following the end of the "War of the Supermen", in which Superman continues to be absent in ACTION in Cornell's upcoming story about Luthor? Believe or not, this is not what most readers want to see - especially given Superman's long absence from Earth and Metropolis! Thanks.
Matt: Yeah, the approach we're taking is definitely contrary to logic, Larry, and not without risk, but JMS' idea for SUPERMAN was too good not to do, as I think you'll agree when it starts coming out, and dovetailed nicely with the New Krypton stuff. I do have trepidation about not having Supes in ACTION, but what Paul is writing is just unbelievably cool and fun, and I think when Supes returns in ACTION #900, you'll find it'll have been worth the wait. That, or I'll be selling pencils out of a cup on some street corner.
Jason (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hey Matt! It was announced that DC is going to start publishing some new series at $3.99 like GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIOR. As a Superman fan, I'm really worried about increasing prices. Most of the time, increased prices are between 25 cents to 50 cents - so why the massive hike by 25%? Why not just 25 cents? Also, are the costs of the trades going to be increasing by 25% as well?
Matt: While I can't comment specifically on future price changes, Jason, I can say that those items that are going to go up in price are finite in number, and that DC is doing this with great reluctance, and in a very limited way. And no, that's not me spouting the company line.
Matt Hastings (rckrdude234@aol.com) asks:
I am a big fan of SECRET ORIGIN so far, and it has become my favorite origin story to date. I also am a big fan of the Silver Age Supes, so I'm wondering what made you guys decide to go back to many of the Silver Age roots in SECRET ORIGIN, like the legion and knowing Lex Luthor as a kid? And also if you don't mind me asking, why is the 6th issue delayed? Thanks!
Matt: That's really great to hear, Matt! I'm pretty fond of this project, myself. The decision to revisit the Silver Age elements was all Geoff's, and speaks to one of his many great strengths as a writer - taking concepts that are fondly remembered by a very wide audience and contemporizing them in a subtle yet believable way. If it were up to us, we'd continue on monthly. As for issue #6, there have been a few different factors that cropped up like illness, competing deadlines - the usual stuff. In this case, we felt it was better to push the book back. We could have wrapped it up a lot sooner, but at a much lower level of quality. Since this is a series which I think will stand the test of time and prove to be a classic, sacrificing the quality with the finale didn't seem to make sense.
Eric Fitzgerald (helacaster@gmail.com) asks:
I was wondering what happens with all the original art pages once the comics are published? I see some original pages on Ebay occasionally but only 3 or 4 at a time. I have been looking to get ahold of some original Superman art and was wondering if there was any other ways to get ahold of it other then Ebay?
Matt: Now THAT is a great question, Eric! The answer to your first question (what happens to the original art) is pretty varied these days. Some pencillers send in original artwork which we send to the inker, who then sends it back. Some inkers, though, send in scans of the artwork. Some pencillers send scans of the pencils to the inkers, who in turn send in scans of the inks. The bottom line, though, is that the artwork is divided between the penciller and the inker.
Not everyone chooses to sell their artwork afterwards, but many do. My suggestion would be to do an internet search with the name of the artist and different variations on "original art" or "selling pages" or whatnot. A lot of guys sell their stuff through websites, or have an agent or dealer you can find on the web.
Frank (Email address withheld by request) asks:
"War of the Supermen" may have been an event book, but the event felt self-contained to the Superman books. Why is it that the Green Lantern events like "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day" affect all of DC yet Superman only affects his own books? Shouldn't Superman spearhead an event that has ramifications on the whole universe? He is after all the most important character in DC.
Matt: Agreed, Frank, and the original plan was for this to be a line-wide event. When we decided to do the War in 100 minutes instead, it was no longer feasible to tie the other books in.
Dave "AKalel" MacLean (imsuperfan@yahoo.ca) asks:
I have 2 questions. 1) There was talk of a "Superman: Red Son" motion comic like the Watchmen one. Any updates on that? 2) I am a big JMS fan and excited about him joining the Super universe. Will his "Earth One" story have any ties to the regular books or am I safe if I cannot read "Superman: Earth One"? Also isn't there any concern that some people might get confused with JMS doing "Earth One" and him starting a fresh direction with SUPERMAN?
Matt: Don't have an answer for you on that first question, Dave. As for the second, there won't be any ties between any of the Earth One and regular DCU stuff, Superman or otherwise. And I don't think people will get confused as the timing between JMS' SUPERMAN and Earth One launches are a bit apart. Plus, "Earth One" is the major branding that fans will be looking for with that stuff, with the character name secondary. Sort of like SUPERMAN: LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON.
John (Jpfx75@verizon.net) asks:
Jeff Lemire, the writer of the new SUPERBOY book, said he only knows about Superboy from what Geoff Johns did with him in "Legions of 3 Worlds" and "Identity Crisis", nothing about the old SUPERBOY series, SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS or YOUNG JUSTICE. Should I and other Superboy fans be worried that he's not familiar with Superboy's first series or any of the others?
Matt: Nope! At the time of that interview, Jeff's knowledge base was what it was, but he's definitely done the research and reading, John. We don't do a half job around here!
Steve asks:
Will we see any crossover between where "War of the Supermen" left off and where the new creative teams on ACTION COMICS and SUPERMAN pick up? It seems (from the Solicitations) that ACTION COMICS is more interested in what happened with Lex from BLACKEST NIGHT then what he went through in "War of the Supermen". Will we see any ramifications from "War of the Supermen" bleed over into the stories told by JMS and Paul Cornell? Or is the slate being wiped clean?
Matt: Oh, gosh, no, Steve! No slate-wiping here. SUPERMAN's story is a direct result of what went down with the war and the events preceding it. And while we'll be making an allusion or two to the war in ACTION, it's true that the thrust of Lex's motivation is as a result of BLACKEST NIGHT, and the ways in which that changed Luthor. And having said that, we'll definitely be revisiting a significant event from the New Krypton stuff as it pertains to Lex somewhere in this arc, no question.
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