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"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in July-August 2009:
Matt's Answers
Pardeep Singh (Email address withheld by request) asks:Everyone knows how powerful and legendary Superman's invulnerability is; it's mostly likely the main reason he's nicknamed the "Man of Steel". So I wanted to ask, why does he bleed so easily in fights sometimes (only sometimes) when the person he is fighting isn't as strong as him? I know his invulnerability isn't absolute, but it's still supposed to be the highest out of any superhero. Is it because the fights look better with blood, so the artist puts it in without thinking!? Or is Superman's skeletal structure and everything else inside much stronger than his skin; so a weaker enemy can make him bleed, but never actually knock him out or seriously damage him? I kinda thought his invulnerability was constant however, so his skin was as strong as his bones and so on. So my gut reaction says artistic mistakes. What do you say, oh great master!?
Matt: "Oh great master"? Obviously, Pardeep, we've never met. To answer your question, it's not a mistake on the part of the artist. Superman is definitely the mightiest of the mighty, and he heals very quickly under our yellow sun. But if we never showed the struggle to defeat his foes, I fear the struggle would seem like less of, well, a struggle. Showing Supes get nicked up every now and then keeps him from seeming too powerful, which could be boring.
Olaoluwapo Williams (williamslaolu@yahoo.com) asks:
What can you speculate about what's about to go down in the upcoming August storyline "Codename: Patriot"? Will Superman be declared an enemy? What plan would General Sam Lane have for the returning Man of Steel? And how would the Earth/New Krypton conflict affect the major players?
Matt: What? You want me to give you all the goods here and now, Olaoluwapo? No way! What I will say is that this crossover is a game changer. We've spent a lot of time establishing the Kryptonians, both as a people and the individual players. Now it's time to shift the focus to the Earth side of things, while really throwing out of whack the status quo for our major players - again!
Dave "AKalel" MacLean (imasuperfan@hotmail.com) asks:
I am curious is there anyway online to submit questions and hopefully get questions re: other DC characters from DC editors or staff?
Matt: Hey, Dave. Good question, lame answer: Not that I'm aware of, but I do think it's a worthy idea, and one I'll explore with our online department.
David N. (Email address withheld by request) asks:
I saw a news article on a new graphic novel featuring Superman/Justice League that deals with an alien force and a reference to "End Times". Do you have any information on this?
Matt: It's not ringing any bells, David. Any chance you can get that article to me (or to me via Steve Y)? That way I can get to the bottom of this and let you know!
Wayne C. Brooks (Email address withheld by request) asks:
On this site you stated we will see a Perry White issue where we (and the Planet staff) are reminded why Mr. White is Metropolis' Top News Hound. Any details on when it will appear?
Matt: Wow. You, sir, have a keen memory. That Perry story is something we're saving for 2010, and at a particular moment of that year, Wayne. We could easily do the story now, but I fear it would get lost in the shuffle, whereas our preliminary though for next year might do Perry and his story greater justice.
Kal (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Once again major props to you for takin time out for us fans! Matt I would like to know if we'll at some point be seeing much more of the other guilds of New Krypton, mainly the science guild? And are they very similar to John Byrne in the Man of Steel continuity, as they have the same look? So far the story has focused alot on the military guild and Alura. We have had a little exposure to the labour guild, will they be focused upon much in the future too?
Matt: We'll definitely be seeing more of the various guilds as we chug along, Kal, though probably not a ton. The Science Guild indeed is represented by John Byrne's excellent rendition, and we'll be seeing some more with them, but like with the Labor Guild in issue #3, they'll likely have their moment, but the focus will stay on our main players (including one or two we haven't yet met).
Aaron (peckapalooza@gmail.com) asks:
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions Matt! My question has to do with Mon-El. If the Phantom Zone is destroyed, how does Mon-El end up surviving until the 31st Century to show up in "Legion of 3 Worlds"? Is that Mon-El from another neck of the multiverse? Or is there a piece of the story I missed somewhere? Yet to come? Thanks again!
Matt: Curious, ain't it, Aaron? The Phantom Zone is destroyed, Mon-El is living on borrowed time with a definite endpoint, Superman can't contact the Legion in the future, a mysterious bottle is found in the Fortress with that temporary cure for Mon-El? If only all these pieces connected in some way, to reveal the larger pattern... Oh well.
Richard Hicks (brickhicks@hotmail.com) asks:
Hey Matt, Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule to keep us Superman fans informed. Keep up the good work! My question is: Seeing as there is a science guild on New Krypton, how long before they start building eradicators? If they do this, will the original Eradicator surface, and will he recognize these Kryptonians to be his actual race?
Matt: Eradicators, or at least one, is definitely on the menu, Richard. I think you'll be surprised by just how and where this thread presents itself. 'Nuff said!
smg75 (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Matt, thank you again for all you do, and especially for taking the time to answer our questions. I was wondering, will the shield numbers continue past the New Krypton arc, and if so, what will replace "Superman: New Krypton" in the monthly rotation? Will "Adventure Comics" be taking its place at that time?
Matt: Good questions, smg! The shield numbers will continue to grace the covers until someone comes up with a good reason to drop 'em. We will, however, be resetting the numbers with the August books. The SECRET FILES will have a zero, then WONK #6 will have a one, and so forth. Look for us to reset the numbers every few months. We've got a couple of items lined up to fall into WONK's place after the 12th issue, though to tell you what those are now would just kill the fun! Meanwhile, ADVENTURE will be moving into the larger fold following Geoff and Francis' first arc, but that doesn't mean at the exclusion of WONK (or its descendants).
John (Jpfx75@verizon.net) asks:
I'm glad you brought back Superboy and not a clone Robin makes, but the real Superboy, from the Death of Superman, since he's one of my favorites next to Superman, and he finally has his own book again, even if he has to share it with the Legion. Will Superboy be going back to the Titans anytime soon? And what will his relationship be with WonderGirl now that he's back? Also, will Superboy be in the Red Robin series with Robin, or Robin in Adventures, since I saw picture of them teaming up?
Matt: Heya, John! Glad we could make a true-blue Superboy fan happy. It'll be a little while before Conner seriously considers rejoining the Titans, though there will be some nice hanging out time every now and again. I don't want to get into what his interaction with Wonder Girl will be, but I can tell you that Red Robin will make at least one appearance in ADVENTURE.
P. Singh (Email address withheld by request) asks:
This is a question(s) on a member of the Superman family - Superboy. Is he as powerful as a normal Kryptonian now or is his half human genes still holding him back? And, Back in the Titans (which I love - so that's why I'm asking this typical fanboy question on my favourite 2 characters!!) Was Superboy stronger than Wonder Girl (Cassie), or was it the other way round? P.S. You're doing a super job as editor!!
Matt: Wow, two Singh's for the price of one set of answers! Aren't you folks all lucky! Without getting into the "science" behind the why, Superboy is definitely not as powerful as a Kryptonian, not even one of his age. Then again, he's got some growing to do, so who's to say he'll always be this (comparatively) weak, Singh? I believe Cassie was stronger than Conner back in the day, but don't tell him I said that!
David Chapman (legend-chappers@hotmail.co.uk) asks:
Hi Matt. Thanks for answering our fan related questions. My question is whether Kurt Busiek's run on Superman is still in continuity? I ask this because a number of storylines were left hanging when Kurt left the book. For example Khyber and Subjekt 17. And also Karsta Wor-Ul aka The Third Kryptonian who hasn't been seen since 'The Third Kryptonian' story arc and never showed up in 'New Krypton'. Can you please clear up my confusion?
Matt: Hey, David. Kurt's stories are most definitely still in continuity, even if we haven't yet followed up on some of the threads he put into place. You'll see some evidence of this in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #14, which focuses on Mon-El and the history of his people. Meanwhile, don't think for a moment that Karsta hasn't been the subject of much discussion as the larger arc (which "New Krypton" is a part of) continues to grow.
David (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Thanks for answering questions. Will we eventually see Kara Zor-El meet Linda Danvers/Matrix Supergirl? My understanding is that Danvers still exists, even after REIGN IN HELL.
Matt: Oooh, that's a good one, David! We don't have any plans for encountering Linda Danvers at present, but that's not to say that it can't or won't happen.
Mick (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! I wanted to tell you how much I'm loving Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle on SUPERGIRL, that plus WoNK have been outstanding! Of course I'm worried about this "Search for Reactron" storyline. Am I going to have to buy ACTION COMICS to know whats happening in SUPERGIRL or will this be standalone?
Matt: That's a fair one, Mick. I think you'll enjoy the story a whole lot more if you read the ACTION issues that tie in. Greg and Sterling are co-writing the four issues that make up the arc (SUPERGIRL #45-46 and ACTION #881-882), and they flow seamlessly from one chapter to the next. While you can certainly get the main gist of what's going on if you only read the SUPERGIRL issues (we wouldn't be doing our jobs if you couldn't), I think you'll get a whole lot more out of the story from a character and enjoyment issue if you read the whole thing.
Fabian Wood (tiger_stripes101@hotmail.com) asks:
Hi Matt; Loving the "Action Comics" run with Nightwing and Flamebird (or is it FB and NW??). Anywho, sitting back, they seem like a Kryptonian version of "Hawk and Dove" with a bit of Hawkman/girl tragic love - premature death - resurrect & repeat thing going. Is this analogy accurate? Does Chris know of the NW/FB legacy thing as Thara does? And when/if will we "see" Nightwing (deity) manifest?
Matt: Nice analysis, Fabian! I would say your analogy is correct, though I could point out ways in which Hawk & Dove and Hawkman/Hawkgirl are analogous to other characters, but that's not really the point. Chris has a rudimentary awareness of the NW/FB legend, via Thara, but that's it. As for when the Nightwing deity will fly in, well, let's just say he's in our thoughts these days.
David (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Thanks for answering questions. I was wondering if MAN OF STEEL #3, where Superman first meets Batman Post-Crisis, is still in continuity? Or will Geoff Johns be doing a new retelling of Superman's first meeting with Batman in SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN? What about Superman's first meeting with Wonder Woman? Is the Matt Wagner "Trinity" mini-series in continuity?
Matt: That moment with Batman isn't something Geoff and Gary will be touching on, David, so I guess I can't really answer your question with any definitiveness.
Azor (azor_99@hotmail.com) asks:
What do the citizens of Metropolis and the DCU Earth in general believe about Superman's absence? Do they think he is just visiting New Krypton or do they think he is gone for good? And if it is the latter, wouldn't that be a huge story point? And what exactly do the other heroes know about his absence?
Matt: That's a great question, Azor! Supes didn't do the best job of handling publicity when he decided to split. He informed certain parties (a la the JLA, the Science Police, etc.) of his plans, but he never really looked at it as a permanent change in status. Unfortunately, in not making some sort of public statement, he's left things open to interpretation, which in the case of Morgan Edge, is most unfortunate. Still, with the lack of a definitive statement from Superman (plus his continuing status as the only Kryptonian allowed on Earth), the general public has enough reason to believe he's merely working from a different office. That perception is going to be changing, however, and not for the better.
Pardeep Singh (pupssingh@googlemail.com) asks:
Is Superman's invulnerability still dependent on a telekinetic field around his body or is that not in canon anymore? Is he just really, really tough?
Matt: He's really, really tough, Pardeep. It makes Superman's abilities cleaner and easier to get your head around that way, in my opinion, and keeps the purity of the character intact.
Steve asks:
Matt, last time you asked me why I was asking about Elseworlds and one-shot, stand-alone comics and graphic novels. I was asking because I get emails from time to time from fans who want to read Superman comics, but don't have the money/time to invest in the on-going titles. They tell me they would love to be able to pick up a book and read a self-contained story that doesn't require them to know years of continuity. What would you say to these fans?
Matt: I'd agree that we've gotten away from one-shots and the like in recent years, Steve. To answer your question, I'd tell them either to pick up a collection of stories in trade paperback form (although we're also putting a renewed emphasis on OGNs). While some like "Brainiac" or "Supes & The Legion" have a more obvious beginning, middle and end (as opposed to say, "New Krypton, Vol. 1"), I think the Collected Editions department does a great job of making the collections work. Does that seem like a reasonable answer? Bring it!
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