CBR: Jurgens & Giffen Get Personal With "Superman"

[CBR News]

CBR spoke with writer Keith Giffen and writer/artist Dan Jurgens about Helspont, Jimmy Olsen and what's in store for the Man f Tomorrow when their run on "Superman" starts with issue #7.


Full article here.

[sethysquare]

Oh gawd.
Wrong forum.

[Batmite2012]

With the sole exception of Grant Morrison. DC Comics just can't get Superman right. Ever since All Star Superman ended, the Superman titles (yes, I don't like the new Supergirl series either) have been UNREADABLE. Superman after the relaunch has been just as bad as before the relaunch.

Clearly, Superman needs to be a SCIENCE FICTION heavy comic book series. But the person writing it has to know how to write Science Fiction.

I don't know why DC hired the least talented writers they could find for most of the new 52 titles (Obviously there are exceptions like Morrison, Snyder, Azarrello, and Lemire), but why didn't they try to get Warren Ellis for Superman? Or Joe Casey? Or Robert Kirkman?

[manfromspace]

With the sole exception of Grant Morrison. DC Comics just can't get Superman right.

This... in a nut shell.

[Perpetrator]

Very excited for this team to get started!

Even though Superman isn't human, I like adding a little human element into the story. Yes, he's a super-powered-cosmic-threat-bashing-baddass but underneath it all there's still an alien who is integrating himself on this planet. His relationship with Jimmy is necessary to prevent Clark from being a social outcast. Show us this Kryptonian's human side.

Maybe if it gets too complicated to give us both the man and the god, DC can give us a new title called: "Clark Kent" and tell us the other story.

[sethysquare]

With the sole exception of Grant Morrison. DC Comics just can't get Superman right. Ever since All Star Superman ended, the Superman titles (yes, I don't like the new Supergirl series either) have been UNREADABLE. Superman after the relaunch has been just as bad as before the relaunch.

Clearly, Superman needs to be a SCIENCE FICTION heavy comic book series. But the person writing it has to know how to write Science Fiction.

I don't know why DC hired the least talented writers they could find for most of the new 52 titles (Obviously there are exceptions like Morrison, Snyder, Azarrello, and Lemire), but why didn't they try to get Warren Ellis for Superman? Or Joe Casey? Or Robert Kirkman?

Weird. Supergirl has been having plenty of positive reviews all over. Giffen's OMAC has been a blast. Morrison in fact has been slightly disappointing to some fans. I think Morrison is fine but I didnt enjoy all the issues. I'm pretty excited about Giffens and Jurgen's take on Superman.
Plus Helspont is awesome.
Also, first few issues of Action Comics havent been so much Science Fiction heavy, more like a guy fighting for social justice but seems like a hit to you cos Morrisson wrote it.
And before the relaunch Superman have been pretty Science Fiction heavy like the whole "God" Lex, War on Krypton angle. So I dun get why Superman was bad before the relaunch to you if it was Science Fiction heavy.
I have no idea whats your angle since you're kinda contradicting yourself.

Also other than those 4 you mentioned theres also JH Williams, Francis Manapul and Brian Booch, Duane Swiercynzynski, Peter Milligan, Brian Azzarello, Paul Cornell, Josh Failkov, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Ann Nocenti.

[Desaad]

Looks good. The Jurgens/Merino team is phenomenal, looks very similar to just Merino by himself with some of the kinks ironed out (and right up there with Pacheco/Merino).

This book, with Keith Giffen's hand on the till, is in good hands, I'm sure of it. Jurgens might add a little bland, vanilla to the book and restrain Giffen's full awesomeness, but I'm sure even with that his conceptual strength will shine through, as it always had (with Alan Grant, JM DeMatteis, the Bierbaums, Flemming, etc).

The Superman line is in great shape right now. This was the one real weak book of the line, and even it had a 'purpose', appealed to fans of the 80s/90s stuff.

Loving Action and I'm enjoying Supergirl and Superboy quite a bit. Neither is spectacular, necessarily, but very solid titles. Better than what Sterling Gates was turning out, for sure, on Supergirl and frankly at least as good as what Lemire was turning out on Superboy, for which he seemed ill suited.

[protege]

I'll admit, I've been having a hard time getting into this book. I can't figure out who Clark/Superman is supposed to be- I don't really like anybody in his supporting cast, and the ones i recognize aren't really interesting to me.But I'll stick with the book until the big crossover, at least.

[doordoor123]

I honestly don't know who to trust with a Superman story anymore. I'll try the first issue or two. If it makes me want to read more I'll continue. I hate this art though. It was also in Green Arrow. Was it Jurgens? If so I hate his art.

[protege]

With the sole exception of Grant Morrison. DC Comics just can't get Superman right. Ever since All Star Superman ended, the Superman titles (yes, I don't like the new Supergirl series either) have been UNREADABLE. Superman after the relaunch has been just as bad as before the relaunch.

Clearly, Superman needs to be a SCIENCE FICTION heavy comic book series. But the person writing it has to know how to write Science Fiction.

I don't know why DC hired the least talented writers they could find for most of the new 52 titles (Obviously there are exceptions like Morrison, Snyder, Azarrello, and Lemire), but why didn't they try to get Warren Ellis for Superman? Or Joe Casey? Or Robert Kirkman?

You may have a point, but I'm wondering if the science fiction angle is the problem I have with Superman in general.

[Desaad]

I don't know why DC hired the least talented writers they could find for most of the new 52 titles (Obviously there are exceptions like Morrison, Snyder, Azarrello, and Lemire), but why didn't they try to get Warren Ellis for Superman? Or Joe Casey? Or Robert Kirkman?

That's certainly a matter of opinion. Joe Casey has only very rarely had creative success on company owned characters.

Robert Kirkman, beyond being HORRIBLY ill suited to a character like Superman, doesn't work on company owned characters anymore.

Warren Ellis would be a tough sell under the best of circumstances to work on a company owned character, to work on Superman is very much outside of his wheelhouse. I don't know that he wouldn't do it, but he'd need oodles of money for it, and quite a bit creative freedom.

When you give Grant Morrison the carte blanche to redefine the character as he sees fit, you're going to need a lot of the other guys writing the character to be 'fall in line' guys, okay with working in whatever space he (Morrison) leaves them. That means you're going to get solid workhorses like Giffen and Jurgens, or you're going to get hungry up and comers like Spencer or Fialkov.

I'm happy with either 'type', and I think Giffen is pretty much perfect for this title, with the same new-idea sci-fi minded sensibility that Warren Ellis brings to his work, even a similarly terse wit.

[Rakzo]

With the sole exception of Grant Morrison. DC Comics just can't get Superman right. Ever since All Star Superman ended, the Superman titles (yes, I don't like the new Supergirl series either) have been UNREADABLE. Superman after the relaunch has been just as bad as before the relaunch.

Clearly, Superman needs to be a SCIENCE FICTION heavy comic book series. But the person writing it has to know how to write Science Fiction.

I don't know why DC hired the least talented writers they could find for most of the new 52 titles (Obviously there are exceptions like Morrison, Snyder, Azarrello, and Lemire), but why didn't they try to get Warren Ellis for Superman? Or Joe Casey? Or Robert Kirkman?

I would say that Morrison's Action Comics is a disappointment compared with what I thought he would deliver. Perez' Superman might have been average and dated but I would'nt call it terrible.

Also, how are Supergirl and Superboy unreadeable?. Superboy is a pretty exciting new take on the character and from what I heard from Supergirl's fans her new title is pretty good.

The Giffen/Jurgens' Superman is now one of my most anticipated books. Giffen will bring all the big and bizarre ideas while Jurgens contributes with the characterization and art. This team is really promising.

Forgot to add, I see that you mentioned Joe Casey and Robert Kirkman, I supposed you know that their best works are on their creative owned titles, and frankly I hope that DC never hires Warren Ellis, can't stand the guy.

[doordoor123]

I would say that Morrison's Action Comics is a disappointment compared with what I thought he would deliver. Perez' Superman might have been average and dated but I would'nt call it terrible.

Also, how are Supergirl and Superboy unreadeable?. Superboy is a pretty exciting new take on the character and from what I heard from Supergirl's fans her new title is pretty good.

The Giffen/Jurgens' Superman is now one of my most anticipated books. Giffen will bring all the big and bizarre ideas while Jurgens contributes with the characterization and art. This team is really promising.

Supergirl and Superboy are both great. They are up there in my favorites. I could see the problems people might have with them though. Supergirl moves extremely fast the entire issue so it takes two issues to resolve something. What should be one issue ends up being two. And Superboy can get too clusterf*cked with weird ideas. Other than that I love both of these books. But I feel like they're doing well because everyone has been trying their hardest to make these characters different than Superman.

[superfriend]

i appreciate these guys' enthusiasm. it's special considering these guys are industry vets and in Jurgens' case with a long tenure on Superman to boot. that these guys are reinvigorated (or invested enough to engage in rhetoric for press junkets for industry sources) kinda says something about the change being as good as a rest for these guys.

that said, i'm just not digging what the New 52 did for the Man of Steel. using him as a vehicle to validate the Wildstorm grafting is a turn-off. employing The Marvel Way™ (used for shorthand--which isn't to infer that Marvel originated this device simply that it's been one of their defining traits) for the general populace's reaction to Superman dilutes an objective "sense of wonder" and replaces it more concretely with a sense of fear. that's disheartening, especially when you're reading a Superman comic. Superman being another possible WMD is just so much convention, which i think does the character a disservice. and i couldn't agree more with how the suit has changed the dynamics of the character. clunky, inelegant, garish, overcomplicated...again, appealing to convention, almost a decidedly Wildstormesque aesthetic. and i don't really mean that in a good way.

i got as far as issue #2 and decided not to pursue the series any further largely due to being bored with how bland these otherwise unwanted alterations came across in execution. a mostly unforgivable sin to me--being boring. being bad or illiciting a passionate negative response to something is preferable, i think, to being so boring nothing resonates in the memory to ruminate on other than how flawed the New 52 treatment has been for the character.

still, i'll scan Messrs. Giffen and Jurgens attempt and judge for myself if they can entertain even if it is with such an unspectacular reimagining.

out of curiosity perusing the order #s (clearly this interview has my gears turning a bit?), it looks like with #3 the title has shed almost half of it's total 150k it garnered with #1 and currently sits at 86k. so it looks like i may not be the only one who might want a shot in the arm of some kind for this title.

Giffen and Jurgens are certainly capable hands and i hope they restore some former glory to this new version of Superman. they certainly sound excited and that's a great start.

[Rakzo]

Supergirl and Superboy are both great. They are up there in my favorites. I could see the problems people might have with them though. Supergirl moves extremely fast the entire issue so it takes two issues to resolve something. What should be one issue ends up being two. And Superboy can get too clusterf*cked with weird ideas. Other than that I love both of these books. But I feel like they're doing well because everyone has been trying their hardest to make these characters different than Superman.

That's the point of this relaunch, telling different new takes on classic characters. I really liked Superboy and Supergirl (Mostly for Sterling Gates' run) before the relaunch but I'm glad they're going on a different direction. I don't want stories about a young Clark Kent or a young female Clark Kent, I want them to be their own selves.