Update
New images added courtesy of DC.
Hey kids, I had to wrestle with the WI-FI, but I've got a log of the first panel on about the Man of Steel with Grant Morrison, J. Michael Straczynski, Scott Lobdell, Matt Idelson, and John Cunningham.
3:30 - Grant Morrison says the cape Superman wears is like Linus' blanket; his only childhood keepsake from Krypton. Q: Will there be room for whimsy like Krypto and Kandor in Superman's mythos? A: Morrison says his new run will be extending his ideas and themes from ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. Idelson and JMS both add that they think it's important to have some levity in Superman. Lobdell says that the villain for the first year of TEEN TITANS will be Superboy. JMS answered a question about his recent work by saying he left SUPERMAN and WONDER WOMAN because EARTH ONE took off bigger than anybody at DC thought, and he ad to put his focus on the graphic novels over the monthlies for the time being.
3:39 - Morrison responds to concerns about retelling Superman's origin again by saying that these characters' stories are always in flux and going through interpretation. If you're exhausted by Supes' origin being retold so soon after his origin, then maybe you've been reading superhero comics too long. Still, the plan is for this reboot to be for keeps, not something that'll be undone in six months. Q: Will Luthor be a mad scientist or an evil businessman?A: Morrison says he'll be an up-and-coming schemer. Funny joke asked by fan -- if Supes is going to be the Bruce Springsteen of the DCU, does that mean Capt Marvel will be its Rick Springfield? Everybody's laughing too hard to even answer.
3:44 - Q: How far was this relaunch planned in advance? A: Discussions went on during the latter half of 2010 and creators worked ahead of time in March to avoid lateness problems. Q: Will we see Superman Prime in any of this? A: Lobdell says no plans for the first year yet. Wants to avoid duplication of superheroes instead of just having them show up. Idelson adds that they don't want to have a lot of versions of Superman in the books.
3:48 - Q: Will Steel be getting his own series? A: Eventually perhaps, but he'll still be playing a big role in the first year of story lines. Q: Will Superman be allowed to cut loose more often, power wise? A: He'll be kicking a lot of ass. Q: What part will Jimmy Olsen play in all of this? A: He's Superman's best friend. All the plots about him will be starting with their relationship.
3:53 - Q: How long will Morrison be on Superman? A: He's got 16 issues plotted so far and he'll be taking it from there. FLASHPOINT is tied to the reboot. There's a reason FLASHPOINT # 5 is coming out the same day as JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. Q: Will there be any Batman/Superman team-ups? A: Not immediately. They want to put some focus on the heroes individually first. There will be unexpected team-ups, though. Q: If this is the reboot, will Luthor have hair? A: Morrison say no - - he's not a fan of hair, himself.
3:57 - Lobdell says that Superboy and Wondergirl might end up together, but he'd like to spend some time on-page to explain their relationship.Q: Will the reboot be meant for all-ages? A: Yes. EARTH ONE is meant for mature readers, though. Superman will be less introspective and whiny in Morrison's books.
4:06 - And now we're waiting for the JUSTICE LEAGUE panel.
4:19 - The show's starting. Bob Wayne, DC's VP of Sales offers Wayne Casino poker chips for the best questions and best costumes. He's invited up Eddie Berganza, who's now inviting Dan Jurgens, JT Krul, Phillip Tan, Francis Manupal, Brian Buccellato, Eric Wallace and then... big surprise reveal... Geoff Johns and Jim Lee.
4: 23 - Showing slides of JUSTICE LEAGUE. Johns and Lee have been talking about working together for a long time. Lee's glad to be working on a team book after such a long time of doing solo titles. Geoff handles the team dynamic well. The humanity. The humor. Jurgens says that JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL will be a UN sponsored team that's founded in direct response to the JLA. Roster will change, with plenty of coming and going, as some members think they deserve to be on the JLA instead.
4: 27 - Revealed a slide of Sinestro on the cover of GL. Johns said he wanted to mix it up instead of the same-old, same-old. Nobody in the story wants Sinestro to be a GL - - even himself - - and his first rule of business will be to take down the Sinestro Corps. Now talking about AQUAMAN. Perennial "Aquaman sucks" comment will be brought up in the plot and quashed permanently, even as there will still be some humor. Giving up FLASH was very hard, since it's his favorite character, but he knew it'd be in good hands with Manupal.
4:30 - Manupal has been asking to write and draw FLASH for years. He and Buccellato know it's a hard act to follow. Johns loves that Manupal is doing creative "choose your own adventure" layout to represent Barry's sped-up thinking. New way for Barry to put the costume on, now, too. The costume will shoot out from the ring, in pieces, and he'll run into them while the lightning fuses the seems together.
4:34 - Krul talking about CAPTAIN ATOM, now. It'll be a different book for him, about Atom's isolation and the philosophical challenges of his powers. Freddie Williams will be using ink washes on Atom, but regular coloring on the rest of the book. On to GREEN ARROW. Krul loves how Ollie keeps trying even though he's a flawed character. He wants to give the book a James Bond feel and amp the excitement by pumping up the trick arrows. Dan says Ollie will be younger in the reboot, and the Queen Industries will be giving him a more advanced arsenal.
4: 36 - Wallace talking about MR. TERRIFIC, now. Hard to write the third smartest man in the world, because he says that his own IQ isn't anywhere close to that. Will have James Bond influence, too, and a mystery feel, but with some adventures in outer space. Will be spending the first year giving Terrific his own rogues gallery.
4:38 - Tan talking HAWKMAN, now. Compares him to Indiana Jones. Will live up to the "savage" descriptor. Now opening for questions... MAD RUSH of fans to the microphone.
4:41 - Q: Why have Batman in JLA and JLI? A: Bats is only the JLI for diplomatic reasons. Q: Why have all life start on Earth in BRIGHTEST DAY? Doesn't it contradict histories of Krypton and NEW GODS. A: Johns tries to answer... then admits he made a mistake with a smile. Q: Any problems to happen between JLI and JLA? A: They won't be working together. Q: Why have Cyborg on the JLA? He's like the odd man out. A: Want to mix-up the line-up a little. Avoid "same old, same old." And Cyborg's a modern superhero. He's online all the time.
4:47 - Q: Will Martian Manhunter have a big role in the DCU, even if he isn't a founding Leaguer? A: Wait and see. He isn't on the team because Johns didn't want to have two aliens on the team at once. But J'onn will be in STORMWATCH. Q: Why have the uniform collars in JLA? A: Lee says he wanted some similarities to stress the team work. Also, the high collars look more regal. Coincidentally, artists separately came up with collars for different characters.
4:51 - Q: Why not have Nightwing on JLA if he's more of a team player? A: It's more fun to have bad team players. Q: Will there be better representation for Asians? A: Wallace answers. Says that as a minority creator himself, this is on his mind. And he's been allowed to make the supporting cast diverse in MR. TERRIFIC. Jurgens chimes in that JLI will have Asian heroes too. Q: Condensing so many years of continuity into a five year timeline - - what effect will that concentrated chaos have on the heroes. A: Johns says it'll be addressed. Johns jokes that they'll all have graying hair and receding hairlines from their job stress?
4:56 - Q & A about where the superheroines are on all these covers, and are they represented in these books leads to some rowdy discussion in the audience. Incurs assurances that women will play a part; that DC has the greatest amount of iconic heroines. Questions about Power Girl and Karen Star lead to some tight lips about spoilers for MR. TERRIFIC. Q: Will DC ONLINE reflect changes from this reboot? A: It's a separate universe, but it may eventually get some new add-ons from these new books. Q: Will Maul show up in the new 52? A: Perhaps.
5:05 - Q: Will other heroes be as cunning as Batman, instead of just losing their wits while he saves the day? A: GL is going to bring this up in JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. Johns keeps his lips tights about there being other human lanterns aside from Hal. He does say that Sinestro will choose what sector he wants and he'll find one ally who will shed light on why the ring chose him again.
5:09 - Q: Any chance the SECRET SIX return? A: Maybe. Q: Could there be a seasonal cycle of reboots to keep the continuity fresh every few years? A: Johns jokes that he can't handle writing that many GL #1's. They got the same question at a previous 52 panel, and Lee thinks a seasonal cycle would make it less special. They've also been letting creators be free of six issue arc requirements. Q: Will Hawkgirl be in HAWMAN? A: Wait and see. Q: Will there be a new Legion of Doom to counter the JLA? A: There will be, next year, but it won't be called the Legion of Doom. Everybody's teasing about they're being 100 new villains.
5:12 - Q: How have the creators felt about the response to the reboot? A: It's caused them anxiety, but they're trying to strike a balance between stripping the characters down and respecting tradition.
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