In the current Superman titles, we've seen Clark Kent's life turned upside down. We know the world is now aware of his secret identity. To add to his problems, his problems are also a bit messed up.
In Gene Yang and John Romita Jr's SUPERMAN, we're stepping back a little in the Before Truth storyline. He's now traced things to an organization called HORDR. We talked to Gene about SUPERMAN #42 and the what the current developments mean for Superman, the future of the DCU, and Lois Lane.
Note: there will be some minor spoilers for SUPERMAN #42.
COMIC VINE: Is HORDR a threat that will start to have a bigger presence in Metropolis or the DCU moving forward?
GENE YANG: Well, they’re not done. HORDR_ROOT, the lead guy, was not defeated by the end of this issue. They will have a continuing presence…at least for the rest of this storyline.
CV: There was a mention/comparison to Lexcorp. Is Lex unaware of this group?
GENE: That…you’ll just have to read the book! [Pause] Lex does come in. Lex, of course, is going to have a role, right? It’s a Superman book. Lex will have a role in Truth.
CV: Will we find out all about this organization right away or is there a mountain of secrets we’ll find out little by little?
GENE: Part of the mission for Clark now is to get at the root of them. As he learns about them, so will the reader. They will have a continuing presence in the current storyline. All the way through.
CV: Is organization or businesses giving out free coffee to employees a way to control them? That’s why mine does.
GENE: [laughs] You’re referring to how Jimmy got that caramel latte? I grew up and still live in the Silicon Valley. HORDR, as an organization, I wanted to be like an evil version of the darker side of Silicon Valley and put it all into this one organization. That’s totally a ploy, dude. Like if you go to Facebook, you can get free coffee anywhere. It’s just their way to make sure you can stay up and work for them. You’ll always have energy to give to Facebook. They caffeinate you to do that.
CV: We also get free popcorn.
GENE: Exactly. It’s just to give you calories so you can provide them with output.
CV: Will we find out more about the shadow ninjas?
GENE: Yes, them too. You’ll definitely find out more about the shadow ninjas.
CV: Was there any specific approach you took for this arc, seeing as Superman feels like a more isolated character, even though the world knows his secret identity?
GENE: We got together as a Superman team really early on, before I even signed actually. I got on the phone with Greg Pak, Aaron Kuder, Pete Tomasi, and John Romita Jr. We just talked through what we wanted to do. We wanted some kind of premise that would carry all four books through. We also got a mandate from the folks above that they wanted to see something really big happen. Those were all the pieces we were given. What we came up with was having him exposed—having his secret identity just put out there. We also talked about a lot of the pieces that people traditionally associate with him going away. He loses his cape. He loses the the S-curl. He loses a lot of his power. We push him back to his original power set from the Fleischer cartoon days. This is why we also backed up his S-shield to the old Fleischer S-shield. Losing his supporting cast was also part of that. As before, he’s going to get a little bit disconnected from both his old traditional supporting cast and the other heroes that are in the DC Universe.
CV: Is Superman going to have to limit the use of the solar-flare or will he even be able to build it up?
GENE: Yeah, everything is going to be harder for him. He’s not going to be able to fly. He’ll only be able to jump like he did in the olden days. He’ll still be stronger than an average human being but he won’t as strong as he was. He’ll still have access to the solar flare but it’s just going to be much much more difficult for him.
CV: Have you thought beyond the “Before Truth” storyline? Is “Clark Kent” basically gone?
GENE: Well I wouldn’t…I’m already working on the next storyline. I’ve outlined it already and I’m starting on the script. I wouldn’t say that Clark is gone. For most of his existence, he’s had this wall between his two identities—between him as Clark Kent and him as Superman. That wall is now gone. It’s less about Clark Kent being gone and more about him trying to figure out how to integrate these two parts of himself.
CV: What super-villains would you be excited to work with down the line?
GENE: I have to tell you, I kind of like some of the more obscure villains and we’re figuring out who’s coming. I’ve always liked his major rogues gallery. I’ve always liked Brainiac and Parasite. We’ll see how it goes.
CV: What was it like writing the new iconic moment Lois finally confirms Clark’s secret?
GENE: It was really nerve-racking actually. I’m thankful. I got a lot of help from the editorial team. John, of course, was able to pull out a lot of the emotions with the way he illustrated it. I feel lucky. I feel lucky that I’m part of such a talented team.
SUPERMAN #42 is now on sale!
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