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Author Topic: Who can save Superman now? KURT BUSIEK!  (Read 248572 times)
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ShinDangaioh
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« Reply #32 on: September 18, 2005, 03:58:32 AM »

The person who could and did save Superman was a guy by the name of Dini.  Warner just needed to give him more time to work with the Superman Animated Series.  

Superman only got a fraction of the seasons that Batman and Justice League did.
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MatterEaterLad
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« Reply #33 on: September 18, 2005, 04:12:01 AM »

Interesting idea, intriguing....
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Uncle Mxy
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« Reply #34 on: September 18, 2005, 02:28:45 PM »

Quote from: "ShinDangaioh"
The person who could and did save Superman was a guy by the name of Dini.  Warner just needed to give him more time to work with the Superman Animated Series.  

Superman only got a fraction of the seasons that Batman and Justice League did.

Keep in mind that Dini is primarily a writer for animation, and his comic book experience is mostly one-offs.  That's not to say he couldn't save Superman the series (when he wasn't Lost or marrying Zatanna).  But my sense is that whoever could save Superman should have some previous experience doing a series beforehand, dealing with a continuum they're not totally controlling.  I remember Kevin Smith's Daredevil run, where he was clearly learning the ropes of what it means to do a series.  All the fanboys were "go Kevin Smith" at the beginning, then got more critical as issues slowly came out.  

And besides, we need someone to save Batman, especially after Frank Miller's recent pile.
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ShinDangaioh
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« Reply #35 on: September 18, 2005, 04:40:38 PM »

In other words, we need someone who is used to writing in a shared world.  Such as the writers of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.  Maybe Timothy Zahn?
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Kurt Busiek
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« Reply #36 on: September 18, 2005, 05:51:19 PM »

Quote from: "Uncle Mxy"
Keep in mind that Dini is primarily a writer for animation, and his comic book experience is mostly one-offs.  That's not to say he couldn't save Superman the series (when he wasn't Lost or marrying Zatanna).  But my sense is that whoever could save Superman should have some previous experience doing a series beforehand, dealing with a continuum they're not totally controlling.


The rules of doing a series in a continuum you aren't really controlling aren't all that different if the continuum is LOST or BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, though.  Paul's been working in continua he doesn't control at least as far back as THE GODZILLA POWER HOUR.

I think Paul, as a talented comics writer, a talented writer in other areas (animation, live-action, prose) and as someone who's been a producer in charge of ongoing series development and a writer working in series constraints, would do an excellent job at a comics series.

Were I to pick my fantasy Superman-writing team, Paul would be on it, as would Alan Brennert and Paul Levitz.

kdb
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Uncle Mxy
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« Reply #37 on: September 18, 2005, 08:17:56 PM »

Quote from: "Kurt Busiek"
The rules of doing a series in a continuum you aren't really controlling aren't all that different if the continuum is LOST or BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, though.  Paul's been working in continua he doesn't control at least as far back as THE GODZILLA POWER HOUR.

I was too loose in my wording, in 20/20 hindsight.  

I think there's a number of people who can write great Superman stories or a single arc.    

There's a smaller subset of people who could write a steady stream of great Superman stories that are interconnected with and build upon each other.  Most TV series are like that.  You don't have to go through a ton of THE GODZILLLA POWER HOUR cartoons to know the current state of the show, characters, etc.  It's not like Star Trek or Dr. Who in scope, where you've had many hands stirring the pot (and sometimes, multiple pots) over the decades.  

Then there's a smaller subset of that who can keep Superman tied with the rest of the DC Universe, which is where a lot of the criticisms about Byrne and Post-Crisis Superman emerge, and the "saving of Superman" from that has sometimes been worse than the problems.  Superman and its sprawling cast is everywhere, and the actions/inactions in one issue can sweep throughout everything.  There's an entire universe that's mostly not written by any one group, organically growing all around.  There's lots of good stories to be had as a consequence of the universe, but there's also lots of good stories that are wrecked by what has happened before and currently within said universe.    

And then of course, you have to want to do it.  Smiley  

In short, my sense is that saviors are hard to come by, 'cause it's hard.

Quote
I think Paul, as a talented comics writer, a talented writer in other areas (animation, live-action, prose) and as someone who's been a producer in charge of ongoing series development and a writer working in series constraints, would do an excellent job at a comics series.

I think he could too, but I wouldn't want a behemoth like Superman (or Batman or Spider-Man) to be the first thing for anyone to tackle who's never done a series.  That's why I'd mentioned Kevin Smith's Daredevil run.  

Quote
Were I to pick my fantasy Superman-writing team, Paul would be on it, as would Alan Brennert and Paul Levitz.

Alan Brennert -- ooooh!  That has possibilities...  haven't thought about that name in comics in awhile.
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DoctorZero
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« Reply #38 on: September 18, 2005, 10:15:39 PM »

Thank you Mr. Busiek for posting here.
I think that the problem with the current Superman stories are that they just aren't about Superman anymore.  Or, at least not the Superman everyone has come to know and love.
They've gone too astray from what Superman is supposed to be about.  They need to get back on track with the character.
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dto
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« Reply #39 on: September 19, 2005, 07:04:00 AM »

Thank you for your prompt response, Mr. Busiek.  Concerning Superboy-Prime, I agree with your assessment that young Clark would be FAR more interesting had he remained on Earth-Prime and continued his Superboy career in secret.  Unfortunately, Superboy-Prime's cover was blown in DC Comics Presents #87, as there were too many witnesses who saw him and Superman at the Clark residence -- friends, neighbors, policemen and Laurie Lemmon (and you NEVER reveal your superhero persona to your girlfriend until right before the marriage proposal!)   :wink:  

And if Earth-Prime and young Clark survived the Crisis, EVERYONE would know by the time Superboy-Prime returned!  Forget about "super-amnesia gas" -- it's too late now, and recent story arcs have proven that such mind-wipes aren't 100% effective over the long haul...   Sad

So with a public identity, poor Clark's parents would be under constant threat; he himself would be hounded by the media, the government and foreign intelligence agencies; Laurie Lemmon would be approached for a "tell-all" tabloid story; Earth-Prime's DC Comics legal department would be suing for trademark infringement while at the same time advertising and publicity want to hire him as a spokesman; the Salkinds want him for "The Adventures of Superboy" TV show ("He can do his own stunts and special effects!"), which means poor Gerald Christopher never gets his big break...   :wink:

And inserting Superboy-Prime into the present DC Universe would be cause for alarm.  It's possible that Superboy-Prime is about as strong as the Silver Age or Pocket Universe Superboys, and he's apparently immune to the effects of red solar radiation!  (See http://superman.nu/tales2/comet/?page=21 )  Superboy-Prime might be unfazed by Post-Crisis Kryptonite (though the multi-colored Kryptonite introduced in Superman/Batman #6 might be another matter).  

Worse for the paranoid Batman, Superboy-Prime would know most of the secret identities in the DC Universe from his comic books!  Sure, a lot of these stories (never happened) in this continuity, but he still has a gold mine (or SILVER/BRONZE mine?) of information.   :wink:

But even with these possibilities, I heartilly concur that "Superman: Secret Identity" was FAR superior to what you might have derived from the original Superboy-Prime.  Thank you again, Mr. Busiek.


P.S.  If you don't mind my asking, I've always been puzzled by Justice League of America #240 (July 1985).  What was the deal with Dr. Anomaly?  I felt it odd that this plot line was never followed up, though the Crisis obviously threw things in a turmoil and retconned some JLA adventures.  But it seemed a waste after going through all the effort introducing a new character, only to have him immediately disappear after only one issue, never to be seen again.

Hmm... Dr. Anomaly thought that superheroes were a danger to society, and he travelled to the future to stop them.  And the last time we saw him was right during the Crisis...

Uh, oh...  :shock:

Boy, if Dr. Anomaly resurfaces in the upcoming Crisis, that WOULD be a shocker!   Smiley   (And I'm sure you planned this all the time, right?)   :wink:
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DTO
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