Inter-Action
"Ask Matt" Fan Forum Archives
Here are Matt Idelson's answers to questions fans put to him in December 2011:
Matt's Answers
Michael Lee (mykalel@gmail.com) asks:In your run-down of the positions held at PGN & the Daily Planet, you missed one person. Where does Clark Kent fit in the company structure?
Matt: Hey, Michael. I just sort of took it for granted that Clark's role of reporter, having not changed, made it self-evident, but clearly I was wrong. Having said that, Clark will be finding some real challenges to the job as he knows it, which should be interesting to see.
Justin (jmic757@aim.com) asks:
Since the New 52 I have been wondering how does Clark change into his armored super suit? Clearly it is not under his street clothes.
Matt: Well I could tell you how it works, Justin, but wouldn't it be more fun to see the explanation Keith, Dan and Jesus have for it in issue #7?
Lemar Jones (jones.lemar@gmail.com) asks:
I've been an avid Superman fan for most of my 42 years. I have stopped collecting Superman and related characters in comic books after nearly 35 years because I'm not liking the NEW 52 (at least where the Superman family of characters and the Justice League is concerned.) What is DC brass doing to keep us old heads buying comics currently and in the future now that sales are returning to normal, if not slumping?
Matt: I'm honestly surprised that you're not digging the new 52, Lemar. Okay, let me restate that. I can understand how there might be a sense of disenfranchisement with our starting things anew, no question, but I think, once you get past the initial disappointment, you might find yourself liking what we're doing. I'd point out that this is not the first time DC has clarified, if you will, history, or started things over, certainly where Superman is concerned. What is it about this time that's different for you?
Brad (Email address withheld by request) asks:
I'm loving the new Super-comics, great job! I think I read somewhere that Superman did die in this new continuity, but how would Steel and Superboy factor into that since they've been (re)introduced separately from that story line?
Matt: Oh, we've very much taken that all into account, Brad, and it's a story I hope we'll be getting to, though not before we get to issue #20 of the books.
Stephen Parry (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Although skeptical, I do think the reset has been an exciting opportunity to do great things with Superman. However, although you are looking ahead to the future, will we ever see the likes of Titano, Composite Superman, Bloodsport or Silver Banshee in the new continuity? And will The Joker ever be a thorn in Superman's side, as he was pre-reboot?
Matt: Only one of the characters on your list has made the grade, Stephen, and that would be Silver Banshee. We're really trying to focus on building new threats for our characters, though as you've seen in ACTION, certainly not at the expense of folks we've known from before like Luthor, General Lane and Metallo (or as we now call him, Metal-Zero). I think it's safe to say you'll see a healthy mix of both new and familiar, meaning sooner or later the rest of the questionable folks on your list will appear.
Mary (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Hi Matt. I feel concerned that Lois is being sidelined in the new books and that Lois and Clark's relationship - a relationship that has been integral to the story for 70 years - is being pushed aside on every level (including professionally) and it's very disturbing. Can you assure me that despite the marriage being gone that this relationship wil be respected and treated with the importance it deserves in the new books?
Matt: I can indeed, Mary. We wanted to change the dynamic of Lois and Clark, professionally, and not have them competing for stories and such in the present (the way they are five years prior in ACTION). But with great power comes, well, you know, and the fact that Lois has a higher position in the company than Clark is going to come into play before too long. Having said that, it's important you know that whatever happens between them professionally, they'll always have a great deal of respect and affection for one another personally. Nothing's ever going to ruin that.
Frank (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Is Death of Superman still part of the canon for the Superman mythos, or has it been removed like the marriage? Its still pretty confusing. Also what should we expect from the Superman comics in 2012 and 2013, now that the new 52 has already been established?
Matt: Many things that will be factors in ACTION this year are being established in issues #5-6, Frank. Grant (with the help of guest-artist Andy Kubert) has sprinkled an incredible amount of fun hints inside a really challenging story. Meanwhile, Keith and Dan are plotting some really star-spanning stuff for Supes, though before that we'll be doing an event between SUPERMAN, SUPERGIRL and SUPERBOY in the summer. Superman hasn't met Superboy yet, and his relationship with Supergirl isn't exactly lovey dovey. Seeing how they function as a unit under those circumstances should be interesting, to say the least. And as I mentioned earlier, oh, about three questions ago, "The Death of Superman" very much did happen.
Li Hei Bao (Email address withheld by request) asks:
Why is there such a resistance to having Clark Kent be Superboy? Is there a financial reason, copyright reason, does Clark as Superboy just not sell as well as Conner? When Johns returned the Superboy aspect to Clark and had him with the Legion, it made for better storytelling, IMO.
Matt: Great, great question, Li! It really comes down to this: until Superman appeared in Metropolis five years ago (plus), the world had never seen a superhero. And since we wanted to show a journey of ability and experience in Superman from his ACTION days to the present in SUPERMAN, that meant going away from the stories of Clark as Superboy. It just didn't fit the model of storytelling we wanted to try and tell. Beyond that, Conner has proven to be an interesting character in his own right, almost a historical fiction of if Clark had been found as a baby by the worst kind of people, except we get to tell that story in "real" terms. I'm sorry that's not something you're liking, Li.
Adrian (Carde85@hotmail.com) asks:
How do the events of Flashpoint and the birth of the post Flashpoint universe affect the multiverse? Is the multivere rebooted too?
Matt: Under penalty of death, I can't say much about the multiverse that hasn't been stated online already by a certain writer from Scotland. I will say that there's a pretty fun taste of that which you ask about coming in ACTION #9.
Jose Zapata (jose.zapata@gmail.com) asks:
Everybody's assuming the current Superman costume is armor, and that he isn't as invulnerable as he was before. Is that really the case? In ACTION COMICS, Superman's wearing a T-shirt and his indestructible cape, but he seems to be able to take fire just fine.
Matt: Fair assessment, Jose, if not totally accurate. No, bullets won't rip into Superman's skin, but they do hurt, at least then, and a hail of bullets hurts even more, which is why he keeps shielding himself with his cape when fired on.
Gerry Beritela (gfberitela@aol.com) asks:
I've got a question about SUPERGIRL #4. At the beginning of the issue her interior dialogue explains Kryptonite. But at this point she isn't ready to believe Superman about Krypton's destruction, so how can it be that she already knows what Kryptonite is? Wasn't Kryptonite a byproduct of Krypton's destruction as it has been in the past?
Matt: Nope! That's changed, Gerry. We actually hinted at that in ACTION #3 during the Krypton sequence. Remember Jor-El's gun? Granted, it was an unspoken hint. We'll be talking a bit more about Kryptonite in ACTION #5.
Steve asks:
One of the above people asked about Clark Kent changing into Superman. In SUPERGIRL we saw that her costume is a Kryptonian suit which is indestructible yet also of a type of material. Is Superman's costume made of the same material as Supergirl's? When can we expect to see the story of when Superman adopted this costume and how he came by it?
Matt: Aw, Steve, can't you lob me a softball for the start of the year? Yeesh! Supergirl's costume is a bit different than Superman's, something I hope we'll explore more when the characters cross paths again over the summer. As for when and how Supes got the new suit, you'll be seeing that story in April, this I do swear.
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