2004 Comic Book News Archives
July 28, 2004: Grant Morrison's Return to JLA
Newsarama caught up with Grant Morrison to talk to him about his return to DC Comics and asked him all about his up-coming run on the new JLA title: "JLA Classified". This is the title editor Mike Carlin had been hinting about recently, the location where the rotating creative team concept on the JLA will have a home. Morrison will team with Ed (Superman/Batman) McGuiness for the inaugural arc. Here's an excerpt from the interview...Q: Moving on then - as for your and Ed's story in JLA Classified - what brought you back to the JLA? Was it a particular itch to write the League and its heroes, or the story came first, and it fit with the characters?
A: As if I didn't have enough to do with Seven Soldiers and the other stuff, I wanted to make sure I put out some new superhero work this year and Dan Didio suggested a brief run on the new JLA: Classified book. I was very reluctant at first; I don't like to revisit old haunts much but I came up with this "Island of the Mighty," idea and this seemed like a good place to try it.
Q: So tease away - who's involved in "The Island of the Mighty?" All new players, or are you revisiting earlier concepts?
A: Except for Batman, the JLA don't appear at all until the second issue - I figured that people have seen me do the JLA before so they might just be willing to let me away with the novel idea of a JLA comic which doesn't have the main characters in the first issue at all. Most of the opening act concerns the Ultramarines team I introduced back in JLA #24. They've come back for a brutal ass-kicking as a kind of cheeky analogue of the best Avengers/Ultimates team you could hope to imagine. I hope readers will have fun matching up the Ultramarines characters with their marvelous counterparts.
Q: Is this a story set in current continuity, or retro-back in your original run, or...when? What's the threat for the team?
A: Aquaman has no beard and John Stewart is Green Lantern so it's pretty much set in some kind of current continuity but I'm afraid it's not the gloomy 'adult' world of Sue Dibny's shredded lycra pants so keep well away if it's attempted rape you crave. Cannibalism, yes, rape, no. My DCU is a day-glo, non-stop funhouse, where the world is threatened every five minutes and godlike beings clash in the skies like fireworks.
The threat is multi-fold in "Island of the Mighty," using the supercompressed Western manga style I'm trying to develop - mad flesh-eating Gorilla Grodd has hijacked Superbia, the floating city of the Ultramarine corps and plans on using the captured heroes as unstoppable terror weapons in a war against civilization. To do this he enlists the aid of a cosmic monster - a killer of superheroes named Neh-Buh-Loh the Hunter, who ties directly into the upcoming Seven Soldiers stuff...and finally there's Black Hand, the old Green Lantern villain, who's invaded an experimental micro universe very much like our own, where superheroes don't exist and he's the only supervillain. It all happens very fast and very hard and leaves lots of damage.
There are robots, liquid men and jet apes and we get to see the Batman's "science fiction closet." I wanted this book to taste like rocket fuel and make the reader feel like a beam of coherent light fired from the barrel of a laser gun. Don't expect slow-paced character build-up in this one...
I've never really done a 'fight' book before so I wanted to set up the 'ultimate' violent super hero brawl with the JLA against the Ultramarines and no holds barred. The third issue is all fight, in fact, which has been fun for me to choreograph.
Read the complete interview at the Newsarama website.
2004 Comic News
Listed below are all the Comic News items archived for 2004.- January 9, 2004: Three Different Supermen in 2004?
- January 10, 2004: Jim Lee Interviews Lee Bermejo
- January 10, 2004: Jim Lee Interviews Brian Azzarello
- January 12, 2004: Three Supermen Rumor False
- January 21, 2004: Art Adams Signs Exclusively to DC Comics
- January 21, 2004: Pre-Order CGC 9.8 NM/MT Grade Copies of First Jim Lee Drawn Superman
- January 23, 2004: Julie Schwartz in Hospital Again
- January 29, 2004: Price Rise for Superman Comics
- February 3, 2004: Superman/Batman vs Aliens/Predator
- February 3, 2004: Newsday Publishes History of Comics Article
- February 3, 2004: Alex Ross Interview
- February 4, 2004: Superman to Sport Painted Cover by Matt Wagner in May - (Updated with Images)
- February 8, 2004: Julie Schwartz Dies
- February 10, 2004: Comic Art Exhibition at Mizel Center for Arts and Culture
- February 11, 2004: Superman Comics Back to Press for Second Printing
- February 11, 2004: Milligan Talks “Kid Amazo”
- February 12, 2004: Jim Lee Talks Superman
- February 22, 2004: Sold Out “Godfall” Issues On Sale for $10!
- March 2, 2004: “Superman: Godfall” Continues to Sell Out at DC Comics
- March 3, 2004: Superman in Wizard #150
- March 7, 2004: Jeph Loeb Talks New Supergirl
- March 11, 2004: Mark Waid Says “Birthright” New Official Superman Origin
- March 16, 2004: Artist Ian Churchill Signs Exclusive Contract with DC Comics
- March 16, 2004: DC Staff and Talent Head West for Wizard World LA
- March 17, 2004: Ivan Reis Talks “Action Comics”
- March 18, 2004: Jeph Loeb Talks “Superman/Batman”
- March 18, 2004: DC Comics Rushes Sold-Out “Superman/Batman #8” Back to Press
- March 18, 2004: Kryptonian Translation of “Superman/Batman #8”
- March 21, 2004: DC Panel at Wizard World LA
- March 23, 2004: Chuck Austen Talks “Action Comics”
- March 24, 2004: Eddie Berganza Talks About Superman in 2004
- March 25, 2004: “Godfall” Continues to Sell Out at DC Comics
- March 26, 2004: Kurt Busiek Talks “Superman: Secret Identity”
- April 2, 2004: DC Unveils New Collected Editions
- April 5, 2004: DC and DF Present Signed Superman Comics for June
- April 11, 2004: Brian Azzarello Talks Superman
- April 13, 2004: “Superman/Batman #8” Second Printing Sells Out at DC Comics
- April 18, 2004: “Superman/Batman #8” is Diamond's Top-Selling Comic fo March!
- April 18, 2004: Stuart Immonen Talks “Superman: Secret Identity”
- April 19, 2004: Alex Sinclair Talks “Superman”
- April 20, 2004: Ivan Reis Signs Exclusive Deal with DC Comics
- April 21, 2004: Jim Lee and Michael Turner Take the Cover Challenge on “Superman/Batman #10” and “Superman #205” [Updated with images]
- April 22, 2004: DC Comics Rushes “Superman/Batman #8” Back to Press
- April 22, 2004: Jim Lee on “Superman” and Life Advice
- April 27, 2004: Gene Ha and Arthur Adams Talk Superman Covers
- May 11, 2004: Chuck Austen Talks “Action Comics” and “JLA”
- May 18, 2004: Dexter Vines Talks About Inking “Superman/Batman”
- May 26, 2004: Rags Morales Talks “Identity Crisis”
- June 8, 2004: Chuck Austen Talks “Action Comics”
- June 9, 2004: Comic Book Idol - Round 2
- June 15, 2004: DC Comics “Ask The Editors” Online Letter Columns
- June 21, 2004: Stan Lee Writes Superman for Julie Schwartz Tribute Issue
- July 8, 2004: Joe Casey Talks Superman
- July 9, 2004: Kim Howard Johnson Talks “Superman: True Brit”
- July 25, 2004: San Diego Comic Con Superman News
- July 28, 2004: Grant Morrison's Return to JLA
- August 16, 2004: “Superman/Batman” Panel at Wizard World Chicago
- August 31, 2004: Rick Veitch Answers Questions About “The Question”
- September 20, 2004: Greg Rucka Talks “Adventures of Superman”
- September 22, 2004: DC Sends “Identity Crisis #1” for Second Printing
- October 5, 2004: Comics Gaining Educational Reputation
- October 19, 2004: Scott McCloud Talks “Superman: Strength”
- October 19, 2004: DC Comics Pay Tribute to Christopher Reeve
- November 4, 2004: Rags Morales to Pencil Adventures of Superman #636
- November 11, 2004: David Goyer to Write “Superman/Batman”
- November 12, 2004: Superman Colorist Appearing at Comic Expo
- December 16, 2004: Chuck Austen Leaves “Action Comics”
- December 17, 2004: “Superman/Batman #13” Takes Top Spot on November Sales Chart
- December 17, 2004: Matthew Clark Talks About Drawing Superman
- December 20, 2004: Changes for Superman in 2005
- December 21, 2004: New Creative Team for “Superman” Comic
- December 21, 2004: “DC All-Stars” - DC's Answer to Marvel's Ultimate Line
- December 22, 2004: Grant Morrison Talks About “All-Star Superman”
- December 22, 2004: John Byrne in New Creative Team for “Action Comics”
Back to the News Archive Contents page.
Back to the Latest News page.