2005 Comic Book News Archives

Superman #217

April 21, 2005: Mark Verheiden Talks “Superman”

ComicBookResources caught up with writer Mark Verheiden to ask him about how he'll tackle the writing chores on the "Superman" comic book. Here's part of that interview...

    DC called Verheiden after he finished chronicling the teenage years of Clark Kent's life. "When I left 'Smallville' last year, Eddie called me up and asked if I'd be interested in taking over the 'Superman' book after Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee were done," Verheiden said. "I was incredibly flattered and said, 'yes.'"

    Verheiden feels that unlike his partner in the "World's Finest," there aren't many variations on Superman's character. "It feels like Batman can have many different permutations. You have the Frank Miller version, the Steve Englehart version, the kind of goofy version back in the 60s and he still survives," Verheiden explained. "But, it feels like Superman is Superman. There's really kind of one version of him. He changes, but he's very steadfast. He doesn't change dramatically. He changes in interesting emotional ways. He goes through a lot of emotional dilemmas. The core character that he is has remained pretty much the same."

    Superman's immutable core is characterized by a number of traits. "He's sort of the rock solid center of the DC Universe. The core characteristics of him are the fact that he's just sort of always there. He's really the guy you turn to when all else has kind of gone to pot."

    Verheiden feels another essential trait of Superman is the importance of the marriage between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. "She's great for Superman because where Superman is I think a tad on the reserved side, which is interesting given that he's a guy who can look to the end of the universe, she brings a sense of humanity to him," Verheiden explained. "Their marriage is what grounds him to humanity and mankind. Without that he's basically an alien on Earth."

    Lois will play a significant role in the book. "She's headstrong where Superman may not be. She is willing to go to places that Superman may not," Verheiden said. " In a lot of ways she's a much better reporter than Clark Kent. Not because Clark Kent is a bad reporter, but because I think Lois is willing to go that extra mile and ask those embarrassing questions."

    Other supporting characters Verheiden has plans for include Superboy, Jimmy Olsen, and some other Daily Planet staff members.

Read the entire interview at the CBR website.



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