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"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in October/November 2009:
Matt's Answers
Joe Sergi (joesergi@cox.net) asks:Hey Matt, Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and for the super work you do. Lucy Lane and Ron Troupe were married and had a baby in the 90s. Now that both Lucy and Ron are back. Are we going to see that addressed? Did it even happen? I thought we were going to get the story in Supergirl Annual #1 (which was great by the way), but did not. Thanks again, keep up the great work.
Matt: Heya, Joe! It's interesting you should ask about Lucy and Ron's prior life together. Their marriage (and subsequent kid) was the topic of a LOT of discussion when Sterling was working out the back story for Superwoman, and it was still a point of contention when it came to plotting out the annual. At the end of the day, it seemed really, really messy trying to include and explain that aspect of Lucy's life, and didn't end up adding to what was going on with her story. So at the risk of incurring your wrath, we've decided that it is something that was undone during INFINITE CRISES and we're leaving it at that. Which of course is not to say that if the right story presents itself, we wouldn't revisit the matter in a heartbeat.
Esther (ealperin@yahoo.com) asks:
Hey, Matt! Thanks for taking time out to answer these questions: Where Is Linda Danvers? I know she last popped up in RIEGN IN HELL but, where is she now? Is she making an appearance in Supergirl anytime soon?
Matt: Hi, Esther! You know, I kind of feel guilty about the thanks I keep getting for "taking the time" when I'm in fact, two months late in responding to Steve and you folks. Thanks for putting up with me! Last we saw poor Linda, she was flying away in that place between Purgatory and Hell, with a strong case of denial going. No one's seen her since, as you know. Based on my multiple trips to Hell every week, I'm pretty sure she's no longer there, and based on my multiple trips to Heaven every week (read: conversations with Sterling), I'm pretty sure she won't be showing up in SUPERGIRL in the near future. Sorry, Esther!
Freddie Crespo (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi Matt thanks for your time here... no one does it like you do. My question is regarding Superman and Batman, so far as we know Batman is "dead" (not really right but...) and so far the rest of the world in the DC Universe, as far as they know Batman is still the same person. So Batman and Superman are still the "World Finest"... will we see then any interaction with Superman and Batman (Dick Grayson) and how different their personalities and interaction towards each other is from Clark and Bruce's?
Matt: Don't you mean "no one takes weeks to answer letters like you do", Freddie? Heh. But I digress. The world at large does indeed believe the Dick Grayson Batman to be the Bruce Wayne Batman, yes. And you'll get your chance to see Clark and Dick working together in - where else? - WORLD'S FINEST #4 which comes out in January. Sterling Gates is writing this four-issue series, and since his name pops up a lot in my answers this month, I figured, what's one more time?
Alan Steele (Email address withheld by request) asks:
What is Superman's costume made out of these days? Is it indestructable Kryptonian material or is just tights?
Matt: Well as we saw in SECRET ORIGIN, Alan, Superman's costume (when he was but a Superboy) was indeed made from indestructible Kryptonian fibers (which is a fancy way of saying Ma cut up the blanket he was wrapped in and made a costume out of it - good thing that stuff breaths!). Since then, we've seen Supes go through lord knows how many suits. He has strived to replicate the material his blanket was made from, using both his own scientific knowledge and know-how, and with the help of S.T.A.R. Labs, and while he's come close, I'd say his current duds are a tad less strong than the original suit. Now if he's smart, he'll grab a ton of blankets from New Krypton while no one's looking...
JosephCAW (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hey Matt, hope this doesn't take up to much of your time but you wouldn't happen to know if Superboy is going to get a new costume anytime soon would you?
Matt: New costume? Nope, no plans for that, Joseph. Then again, things around here can change as quickly as the direction of the winds, so don't hold me to that!
Sabino (Email address withheld by request) asks:
When are we going to know what happened to Doomsday? I think the last time we saw him Lex found out he was not completely dead.
Matt: Oh, we'll be addressing the not-quite-dead Doomsday pretty soon, Sabino. Definitely before school lets out for the summer. Good memory, by the way!
John (Jpfx75@verizon.net) asks:
Now that Superman/Batman is going be in continuity, will it crossover with the other Superman books and Supergirl?
Matt: It doesn't appear that way, John. While the book will indeed be in continuity, it'll be telling stories from earlier in time, rather than being set in the present.
Martin Salinas (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi, I was wondering what happened with Metallo after the Action Annual? There Geoff showed Luthor placing four different colors of kryptonite in his body, and now, he only has green. It is just that you and Geoff changed your minds or it is something that will be addressed soon?
Matt: That's a very, very interesting question, Martin, and one that I'll have to be somewhat vague about answering directly. We haven't gotten to see Metallo do a whole lot thus far (seems like Reactron's been hogging the spotlight, somewhat). One could extrapolate that perhaps the gold K from Metallo was used to power Reactron. Then again, maybe not. But if not, then why have we only seen Metallo use the green stuff? Hmmmm.
Olaoluwapo Williams (williamslaolu@yahoo.com) asks:
In the "Superman" titles, Mon-El seems like a Mary Sue to me when he first made his debut as Metropolis' protector in Superman #686. Can you describe his personality?
Matt: Mon-El has certainly evolved quite a bit since he first made the scene, Olaoluwapo (and please forgive me if I'm mispronouncing your name in my head!). When he first "took over" for Superman, he was naïve, and inexperienced in the ways of being a hero, though thanks to Guardian's tutelage, he's been growing in that department. He had a thirst for life and new experiences after having spent so long in the Phantom Zone (which happened before he got to truly experience living on Earth, as you'll recall). His imminent demise changed his outlook somewhat, but it was his capture and torture at the hands of General Lane (not to mention a certain Doctor Call Omar) that thrust him into a new place, where he is now kind of angry, focused on his mission to restore Superman's good name, and determined to stop the wrongs of General Lane. The innocence still surfaces from time to time (as you'll see in SUPES #695), but now he's truly grown into a man who is on a mission. Does that jibe with your take?
Brad-El (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi Matt, I know it's a separate department, but I love the "Man of Steel" trades. Are there any plans to collect more post-crisis Superman stories?
Matt: Right now there doesn't appear to be any further MOS trades in the planning stages, though of course if the demand is there, those plans will change, Brad-El.
Chris (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi, Matt. I just learned that Greg Rucka was getting a co-writer for "Action Comics". Greg has been my favorite Superman writer since his fantastic run on "Adventures of Superman" and I'm thrilled to have him back with the Superbooks. Please tell me his stint isn't ending soon.
Matt: Greg's length of tenure on ACTION is not really connected to his bringing a cohort in to write with him. Said cohort, one Eric Trautmann, is not only helping bring Greg's stories to script, but also creating a whole lot along the way. As for how long Greg and Eric will be gracing you and me both, I'll leave that to the future to decide.
Richard Hicks (brickhicks@hotmail.com) asks:
Will we ever see a Superman trading card series anytime soon?
Matt: Doesn't seem like trading cards are in the offing right now, Richard, but like Brad-El's request for more MOS trades, if enough people like you join together and demand such an item, we'll have no choice but to capitulate!
Comics_Addict (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi Matt, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. As a loyal reader reader of the Superbooks since OYL I have enjoyed a lot this "New Krypton" storyline since it started over a year ago but I was wondering if after WONK wraps-up we'll be seeing a resurgence of stand-alone stories (with soap-opera elements) running through all the books like before "New Krypton"?
Matt: The fairest answer to give you there, Comics_Addict, is "yes" and "no." When our mega-story reaches it's conclusion, it's not like we'll just go back to telling happy individual stories in the respective books with no interaction or consequences from all the New Krypton stuff. At the same time, though, I recognize that a break from crossovers galore is certainly in order, and I want the writers to be able to start telling their individual stories again.
Pupz (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi Matt, I know that Superman is vulnerable to magic, but everytime he gets struck by it (from people like Captain Marvel for example), he gets hurt and damaged but not knocked out or anything. If magic circumvents his invulnerability, shouldn't it kill him instantly or something!! I kinda thorght it didn't because he has really fast healing, and that stopped it a little? Am I right?
Matt: I'd say that's correct, Pupz. It all depends on the level of power behind the magic used, and considering how tough Supes is, he usually just gets hurt. On the other hand, if I had to take on Supes in a fight, I'd rather have magic at my disposal than super-strength.
Captain Kal (Email address withheld by request) asks:
First, huge kudos to Geoff Johns for his first two issues of Superman: Secret Origin. In LO3W, Superman is largely ineffectual while Connor and Bart mysteriously can inflict damage on Prime at will. Say what? Saturnians cannot be on a par with powered Kryptonians so what gives in WONK? Heat vision, super-speed and/or a mere match is all it takes... Superman is a wuss in Blackest Night while Kon and Krypto look heroic. Is Superman becoming superwimp in his own books?
Matt: What? A superwimp? Never! While the Kryptonians are on a level all their own, Captain, Jemm's no small potatoes (as we'll be seeing down the line a bit). And when he and his guards come in headstrong, then the equally headstrong Commander Gor starts firing away with those weapons that can hurt a Kryptonian... well, then it's a little more complicated than just heat vision and super-speed, eh?
Steve asks:
There are some complaints amongst Superman fans that the "World of New Krypton" saga is dragging on too long. What would you say to these people in response?
Matt: And would you be among those "Superman fans," Steve? I think, to a man, everyone involved feels like things didn't always pace as well or play as well as we would have liked, Steve, and there are certainly some interesting reasons to get into someday in the future why that might have been. Suffice it to say, as we actively plan our endgame on the "New Krypton" saga (we just had the writing team in for three days of pretty intense story breaking), we're doing a lot of looking back at those things that worked, those things that didn't, and so forth. So I guess I would tell those people that we're aware of what we did right, what we did wrong, and we're making sure not to repeat any missteps as we head towards the climax of the story.
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