Superman Through the Ages! Forum

Chat with writer Elliot S! Maggin this Sunday, October 9th, at 3pm PDT/6pm EDT!

get all the info here: http://forums.comicbookresources.com/announcement.php?f=23&announcementid=47

Hey, can someone get a transcript of this?  I'm going to be out of town and offline this weekend!

:s:

That's excellent news!  We get to chat with one of the signature Superman writers.

It would be nicer if we could convince Mr. Maggin to visit our forum.  I don't know how open he is to that but if he's willing to come to CBR then it doesn't hurt to ask for us.

He was interviewed for this site before I belive
http://superman.nu/Maggin/maggin.php

I've seen those interviews.  Those are nice but it's much more fun to interact 'directly' with the man like we're doing with Kurt Busiek.  A dialogue is much more stimulating and would go in unanticipated directions that would be fruitful for both the writer and the fan.

IMHO, of course.

Maybe someone can lure ESM over to the forums to kibitz with us?

Done! I'm now registered as "superfred." Now to wait til 3...

crap! It's at six PM over here...oh, well.

Please post a transcript of teh chat once it is over in this thread, and thanks.

I'd love to read a transcript of the Elliot S! Maggin interview. In addition to him being one of the definitive Superman writers, he's also a very fascinating human being with interesting stories and is well read; I'm sure he's got lots to say.

Though I'm not the type to speak to writers directly, because that's so intimidating that it scares the living tar out of me. I wrote that post about my love of Kurt Busiek's incredible talent and encyclopedaic knowledge, and how he would take a dignified, emotional approach that is both enjoyable and in the spirit of this character's great past. I never DREAMED he'd show up to help me get my facts right.

"Oh, man, what if I say the wrong thing?"

"I hope I don't come off as TOO fanboyish..."

It's like being on a first date, except it's with a bearded forty year old comics writer.

I went to the chat room and there is no Gangbuster Thorul nor Elliot S! Maggin, there is only a few people there, so I would join Julian Perez since at least you could think of some good questions.

The Chat ended, the transcript will be posted at the website. I think I will have a new sig once it's posted ;)

:cry:

I didn't get to do it. I had to leave town before 6.

Did anyone here participate?

:s:

I was going to but I had visiting family over so I was too busy.

I just hope someone from here invited Mr. Maggin over.

A certain Monkey with Super-Powers...

All Hail the Monkey!

Now we just need that transcript...

:s:

Once this fixed the spelling and clean it up, they will post it and I'll post the link here.

It was a rather nice chat, in it you will learn all kinds of cool stuff like:

What was the one Superman character he really always liked and wished he could do story with but never got the chance.

His favorite Superman stories that he wrote ;)

His worst storyline ever that he wrote ;)

What his favorite version of Lex Luthor is.

If he would be willing to write an All-Star Superman run.

Possible new Graphic Novel, not that it will happen but he would like to see happen.

His favorite artist to work with.

His take on Captain Marvel.

His favorite Superman Character.

What he wishes he could do with Superwoman.

Who really created Lex Corp ;)

and much, much more. :)

You can all stop holding your breath...

for the Chat Transcript has been posted, just follow the link:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=6074

Wow, what a fantastic chat!

Thanks for the great questions and the website plug, Beppo!

:s:

There was a lot of joking around that wasn't included, also the answer about the Graphic Novel was omitted, I guess for legal reasons.


Maybe someday that epic Super-Monkey story will get made and Art Adams will draw it.... hey it could happen! or not ;)

So what was the answer about the graphic novel?

It's a shame that Elliot S! Maggin, probably the best living Superman writer, was shut out of Lois and Clark (http://superman.nu/fos/thescreen/lnc/) and shut out of Superman Adventures and now he has no involvement with Smallville or with the Krypto cartoon!  Most of those shows would not exist if it hadn't been for his work.  Krypto in particular had been completely written-off by the suits until Starwinds Howl proved to them just how loved and popular the mutt is, and the power of his story.

:s:

I asked him if he would ever do comics again, (on his own) and he replied that he wouldn't mind making one of his novels that he had written into a graphic novel, he named the novel, but I don't think it was ever release to begin with. The odds of that Graphic Novel ever happening is slim and none, so I guess there is no need to get anyone hopes up.

You should have asked him to write an Epic Story of Beppo the Super-Monkey novella for you.

:s:

One Epic Story of Bizarro-Comet the Super-Horse, coming up...

*begins typing obsessively...*

I actually do have outlines for about seven Stories Supreme...but will I ever finish them? It remains to be seen...

It seems odd that virtually every writer who gets signed up to write Superman these days makes sure to cite Maggin's work as a big influence on theirs. But few of them seem to show it in their work, and DC isn't interested in signing up the "original".

Great chat, Beppo. Now if you can lure old ESM here so we can have our way with him.

You know in a good natured adulation kida way... :wink:

DC is like certain well-known politicians.  They just say what will make them look good to the public, but in reality they ignore it all and do what they were going to do anyways - usually the direct opposite of what they were saying.


Maybe if we start a thread called "Who can save Superman now? ELLIOT S! MAGGIN!" he'll amaze us all be coming by and posting incredible articles all the time.

You never know, stranger things have happened...

:s:

You know, I've noticed this too, and it's very interesting because generally when a writer says they are "inspired by the earliest incarnation of a character" it means they intend to do something totally divorced conceptually from what the series is supposed to be. Remember when Frank Miller started saying how DARK KNIGHT RETURNS was inspired by Bob Kane (not Bill Finger, naturally)? You know, I think Bob Kane had Batman do detective work once in a while, Frank.  :D  If somebody can be accused of going back to the Finger/Kane Batman, it would be Englehart, who mentioned - of all people - Julie Madison, Batman's first fiancee, and had her affect his current characterization.

The moment this phenomena crystalized for me was when Chuck Austen (now there's a fish in a barrel target) when he took over ACTION COMICS stated that his chief inspiration was Siegel and Shuster. HUH?

Generally, Chucky, if people are inspired by something, they use aspects of that person in their work. For instance, Roger Stern - the voice of reason in the Mike Carlin nuthouse - was inspired by George Reeves, and wrote Superman with a lot of George's distinctive mannerisms and style. Stern's "Panic in the Sky," despite uneven art and really goofy cameos by Deathstroke the Terminator (!) and the Matrix Supergirl, was one of the few Super-works to emerge from that period that wasn't slightly nauseating, with Superman played accurate to character as resourceful and intelligent, a good general for superheroes.

If we go by this criteria of determining influence (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery), the single greatest influence on Austen's work is Tomas de Torquemada.  :twisted:

The SONIC THE HEDGEHOG guy that is the sworn archnemesis of David Gonterman? Hey, maybe Gonterman, Chuck Austen, and John Byrne should form a Legion of Comics Doom!

I for one, would love to see Maggin and Byrne duke it out with laser swords, like at the end of HOT SHOTS: PART DEUX.



Well, that accounts for why the nineties X-Men cartoon was so fabulous. They had the sense to go and get some good talent, like Mr. Maggin!



Anyone that asks this hasn't seen Alan Moore.  :wink:  



Ooooh! Dean Cain, YOU GOT SERVED, Maggin style!



Any...particular point of inspiration? Hmmm?

http://www.marveldatabase.com/wiki/images/b/b1/Kang_001.jpg