Hey everyone - -Happy 4th Weekend!

I really do love you ComicViners -- and so I'm going to settle in over the next few days and talk about the Superverse with you.

I can tell you this... Kenneth Rocafort sent me the covers to ACTION ANNUAL 2, SUPERBOY 25, SUPERGIRL 25 and SUPERMAN 23... and damn if it doesn't make the most amazing poster I've ever seen for a comic story!

Not only is it powerful, it is gorgeous! I had to run out and blow it up into a huge poster and put it on the wall over my computer for inspiration! (And it is only the penciled version!)

It didn't help any that Bob texted me and said "You better make this story an epic worthy of this art!"

Not too much pressure, eh?!

So lets talk! (Haters and baiters, don't bother because you'll get no response!)

Hey Scott. So is this other Superboy the new52 "Prime" or is that open to interpretation?

Are Mr Majestic and Icon off limits?

• Are you allowed to talk about them?
• If so do you have any plans?

Is the Eradicator on Krypton's past related to the robot that showed up in Supergirl?

Is the Alien Sun God that was mentioned in JL going to be referenced again?

Superboy Prime still stuck on the source wall?

Will you be working with Steel?

@fodigg: I think its Jon Lane Kent. :D

Does Psy-war ends in October;
And will i be able to read it without buying superboy;

@scott_lobdell: I have loved your run so far. I have a question for you. Will we see how powerful superman can be? I mean will we see superman doing things that leave us in awe? Will you flush out his intelligence, strength, speed etc.?

@scott_lobdell:

Is there any obscure Superman villains you would love to get your hands on and make a real threat for the New 52?

What are your thoughts on the Man of Steel movie?

Could you see Jor El getting his own spin off book, maybe a mini?

@scott_lobdell: Is General Zod going to make an appearance at some point in time?

It seems like every incarnation of Superman on film, including the Donner movie, Superman Returns, and the latest, make heavy use of the Christological interpretation of Superman. Man of Steel went so far as to juxtapose Clark against a stain glass image of Jesus wearing a red cloak like a cape. However, such imagery and narrative elements are far less utilized in the comics medium (though not omitted entirely).

My question is this: when writing Superman do you ever make a conscious effort to base aspects of the character on the person of Christ or draw deliberate comparisons to the story of Jesus? If so, where in your past work on the character can this be seen? Why do you think this aspect of the character is so much more prominent on film than in comics?

@scott_lobdell: Oh man, don't tease,please don't tease i'm going to be shaking in anticipation. Only one question...for now. We've seen him in Action and now in superboy, is Krypto going to be making an appearance in Superman any time soon?

plus i'v been eagerly awaiting the story arc now dubbed 'Krypton Returns' ever since the zero issues, really excited for that!

Jon lane kent is NOT prime,he is superman and Lois lanes kid from the future.

Zod gets a sept villians one shot

Where superboy goes krypto goes now,and superboy will be in the action comics annual,so maybe

Superman lifting a weight that is the same as the earth for five days without the sun,and only having one drop of sweat is awe inspiring I would hope.

Always buy the Superboy book,it's good for you,and makes you a better person lol.

Icon,majestic,Martian Manhunter,and superman should start their own alien overseer type group,keeping an eyes on all things,everywhere.

The machine in supergirl was her sanctuary fortress,that now thinks she is a clone,so it's out to kill her.domt know if he is considered the eradication,or those alien Nantes that were in Perezs run on superman was eradication,or something totally different will be the eradication.

How powerful will your rendition of superman be?

Will this involve any of the other Titans?

this of course. It might be strange but Superman is rarely represented as a really strong, powerful and clever character...and i think that is one of the strongest point of your superman's stories: you write him as he is supposed to be; he is a character intended to be that strong, and often ,that fact can scare a bit (sometimes yes sometimes not) a writer. Still you have embraced properly his incredible power set,without making him invincible or boring....above all by giving to him some immensely powerful enemy such H'el and Helspont ( i LOVED Superman Annual #1),and even by showing us that he is not a simple brute : he is capable to plan ahead or to improvise in order to win a fight (for example againstt the sunturians).

1-so one of my question is the same of @sog7dc: we will see some crazy feat for him?for example the limits of his heat vision,or his speed,and (why not) another amazing strength feat?we will see how clever he is? I ,and i think even many others, love to see such things in a comic!

2- in one of your interview you have said that after "psi-war" Superman will bump into 2 of the most powerful being of the universe,and you have told that we have already met them....so...are you talking about Darkseid and Helsont? They also are 2 intergalattic dictators who maybe can fight each other for their supremacy over the universe,and both of them have shown some (big) interest for Superman... so it is possible for Kal to be caught between such dangerous foes?

@toptom: ha! Good idea

@toptom: Who is that????

Whoever she is,she can have my number anytime.

Btw there is a thread in the CBR superman forums talking about the limits of supermans powers right now,and what he could do(even though it started out as a real world superman thread).maybe you guys should go there for ideas (hint hint for Scott),cause I want a superman who isn't god,but can do many more things than we have seen over the years with his powers.

Is this really Scott Lobdell?

@scott_lobdell: First off I'm currently enjoying your run on superman, it has its faults but overall it is better than what came before it. Now some thing has been bugging me since the conclusion of the H'el arc

How exactly was H'el's plan going to lead to the destruction of earth? the plan if I understand it was to travel back in time using the energy from the solar system in the present destroying the earth now but by going to the past, the earth is still going to present there and since you've shown in superboy that the future can be changed, H'el saves Krypton and doesn't need to destroy earth again unless it is that the energy H'el takes from the present destroys earth in the past. I may just be confusing myself but I would like a definite answer unless it spoils future events of course.

Anyway I always wanted to kn how advanced is your version of Krypton compared to the rest of the DC cosmic verse?

@drgnx: i wish i knew..

@sog7dc: thanks!

Talking with some readers is a thing but talking with the one who is actually writing the comics is another one! i know very well what this superman can do, i have just asked what he will do. I know this may be childish, but i have always loved powerful superheroes :i love dr manhattan, i love when thor splits a planet in 2 with mjolnir, i love when Supes pushes planets around, i love when SilverSurfer destroys an entire army of spaceships in a blink of an eye....ecc...i am aware this is childish but thankfully that is not the greatest reason who makes me read comics,even if it is one of the most relevant. Still i was enough curious to ask him what he will do regarding his power-set.

Then i don't think anyone can possibly desire a Superman who is GOD,who is invincible and infallible,nor an impossible powerful one too who can for example move a galaxy and take the big bang while smiling but it is certainly possible that many wants ,even you i think, a Superman who can still do crazy things ,achieve immense feats( remaining possibly consistant beetween different titles) but who still has some enemies who are far stronger than him ,such as Darkseid,Helspont and many others in order to render mandatory the cooperation of many heroes.

Sorry if i seemed a little rude,and i know you were not talking just to me, but still for a fan even the stupidest question may be a little relevant.

@toptom: I totally agree and I don't think it childish at all. It's power fantasy who doesnt love a good power fantasy? I want my superman uber powerful too

I like my heroes to top out around Man of Steel power levels myself,but also like it when powerful beings can sense shit around them on levels we couldn't dream of,and manipulate it somehow(ex Superboy).

@scott_lobdell: I don't really like the direction Superman or Superboy have taken since the relaunc, however Supergirl has so far been pretty good, and most importantly where I think you and those working on Superman titles currently can make a huge contribution to the Superman lore would be to focus a bit more on Krypton. We've gotten the most detail of the history of Krypton with the new52 and I'd really like to see that explored even more. Is there any chance we could get a series dedicated to the history of Krypton, called "The House of El" considering they play integral role in Kryptonian history? If an on-going series, mayhaps several mini-series exploring Zod, The clone incident, Eradicator, Krypton's Space Age, The End of Krypton and why the Kryptonians were so dogmatic about not leaving the planet, and The birth of the Kryptonian civilization, since past canon has hinted at or said that Kryptonians are the product of Sun Eaters in some way and that has something to do with their religion of Rao... I'm sure there could be many more stories on this subject and I find interesting as no doubt others do, so is there any chance we could get this?

i hate public forums and am no longer here.

@powerwoman: ok for the last time,it doesn't matter how strong superman is,things he lifts can fall apart under their own weight,that's why he can bench a planet,but struggle keeping a big ass boat from falling apart,it's simple physics.

Wow! Here goes...!

Fodigg: No, Jon Lane Kent has nothing to do with Superboy Prime.

drgnx: Mr. Majestic and Icon are not "off-limits" but I have no plans for them.

No, Eradicator on Krypton's past is not related to robot that showed up in Supergirl.

No plans for Alien Sun God from JL -- you'll have to ask Geoff.

I don't believe Superboy Prime exists in the the New 52.

I LOVE Steel, but no plans yet!

Squalleon: Yes, the Psi War ends... but the impact of that ending will ripple through Metropolis for some time to come.

You don't HAVE to read Superboy -- but Justin Jordan is doing such a great job, why would you want to miss it?!

SOG7DC : (you might have my favorite screenname! LOL!)

Thank you, it has been a blast. Re your questions: I think he's been doing some awe-inspiring things right along and been using his intelligence to do things like stop that Kryptonian dragon in issue 13 and the Sunturians in 19 (He timed the dropping of thousands of gallons of water on him knowing he's have no powers upon walking into his the lion's den - -that strikes me as purty darn intelligent.) But let me know!

Johnny-Anonymous: Toyman! But, of course, a New 52 version of Toyman. (Though the way my luck has been going lately, they'll say "We love this character -- but he's not Toyman!" and I'll have to rename him Dude-Hickey or something!)

MAN OF STEEL? Loved its boldness and its slaughtering of sacred cows! How bold! How refreshing!

A Jor El spin-off?! Woot woot! If I didn't get to write it, I'd be first in line to read it! (And give it up for Frank Hannah -- who has been doing an excellent job with the ACTION back-ups featuring Jor El and Lara!)

Black Claw: Interesting choice of words there... and yes! We have certainly not heard the last of Zod!

RideASpaceCowboy: I think about Superman when I'm writing about Superman, and about Jesus Christ when I'm writing about Jesus Christ. (Hmm... Ever notice we never see the two of them together?!) Clark has enough weight on his shoulders just trying to be the best Superman he can be... I think having to be a stand-in for Christ is asking too much of the man. (For the record, I like to thing there is a little of both of these icons in all of us.)

UltimateSMFan: Alas, as much as I love Krypto (I have three white dogs myself!)...I don't have any plans for him in the future. (And thanks for the anticipation! I too am excited!)

DeathSumauri: That question is vague. But, if I understand it, yes -- there are a butt load of things happening in SUPERMAN that are going to have profound effects on other books. That is the nature of a flagship!

TopTom: I will continue to keep trying to use Superman and his amazing powers and intell to their utmost!

2- You are half right. Heehee. (Why did you post a picture of my mom, you sicko?!?)

Superboy2177: Good idea... LINK!

Lilben42: What a waste of a perfectly good question! LOL! (And yes!)

Sage1000: Aw, thank you for liking it!

Re: H'El's plans. I don't know -- lets say he destroyed Earth's Solar system to get back in time... but couldn't stop Krypton from being destroyed. Is that a risk you think Superman and the Justice League should take? Hmmm.

Also, suppose H'El was successful and Krypton was never destroyed -- it is unlikely Jor El would have dispatched Kal El to Earth and how many times would Earth have been destroyed over the years without Superman? Hmm.

Re: Krypton science vs savagery? We're about to find out!

Durraken: You are about to get what you want in the most unexpected way possible. Can you wait for Christmas and we'll talk about this again?

Majesticsupercalifragilistic: I didn't see a question in there but it seems like you are happy with the general direction -- so thanks for that

And, yeah, I kind of agree with you about the Sci Fi elements: this guy comes from outer space! I don't think we need to hide our heads in the sand and we should embrace those elements about SUPERMAN... Yes, Clark was raised on a farm, but he's from "out there". His stories should be a little out there as well!

PowerWoman: English is very overrated! =)

I can't really speak to the relative strength of the other characters to Superman unless I were actually writing those other characters. Sorry if that's not helpful. =(

That said, don't let any of those other heroes hear you calling them weak and feeble!

Regarding Superman and planet lifting, etc... Imagine a weightlifter who can lift an SUV. Very impressive. Now imagine dropping that SUV out of the Earth's orbit onto the weightlifter. Without having a weightlifter and an SUV and the access to Earth's orbit, I'm going to assume that there would be very different skill sets needed.

Regarding Superman and Supergirl... I don't know, I think the average 28 year old male is likely to be stronger than a 16 year old female, no? That seems like a reasonable assumption to me. Also, when you consider Clark has been using his super powers for about 15 years now, and Kara has been using her super powers for about 15 days... it seems likely he would be better at using his super powers at this point in time.

Powerman and Stephens: I know nothing I say is going to stop this debate (nor should it) but think of Kevlar body armor: It is amazing at stopping bullets... less so at stopping speediing trains. S'all I'm sayin'...

Turok: You took the words right out of my mouth...!

Well THAT was fun! Don't know how many more I'll be able to answer -- but I'll try!

Peace out!

S!

@scott_lobdell said:

So what you're saying is that something discussing Krypton history is being made now, considering how issues tend to be in the bag several month in advanced and you can't talk about things until they've been announced which would be around the time they're releasing ^.^

Another question... Would it be possible to tell me how accurate this timeline I made is as far as you know?

Google doc Timeline

It's long so I understand if you can't, but I'm sure some of us that like canon would appreciate it

@scott_lobdell

Hey Mr. Lobdell,

This doesn't really have much to do with the Superverse, but I thought given this rare opportunity to speak to one of most ingenious/avant-garde/innovative minds in the medium (real subtle flattery there, you'll note), I might as well ask:

Any advice for aspiring writers/artists trying to enter the biz? I'd be real interested to hear what a professional has to say.

Much thanks :)

@scott_lobdell: I'd definitely agree but I am a fan of power fantasy lol and when I sit to read superman I want to see him doing stuff that makes me run and tell my mom even though she has no clue what I'm talking about. Ive done that a few times with your awesome run but I'd like to do it more! On a side more I have two more questions for you:

1. I'm a double major in history and aerospace engineering and I want to know how to go about becoming a comic writer like you?

2. Do you have a quote unquote "limit" for supermans powers in mind? Or are you writing him A's a hero that is always holding back or, as the JLU animated series said, "living in a world made of cardboard"?

Ps: I have your favorite screen name and you're writing my favorite character lol :)

@powerwoman:

Powerman and Stephens: I know nothing I say is going to stop this debate (nor should it) but think of Kevlar body armor: It is amazing at stopping bullets... less so at stopping speediing trains. S'all I'm sayin'...

I'm guessing he is saying Kara has the physical strength,kon has the energy field manipulation.so Kara punches are grips better,but kon lifts(without falling apart) and shields probably better,or not,either way they are both badass,and über powerful,like they should be.

Oh and I for one don't want Kara to be a one punch knockout for Kal,I just believe the size and skill level of superman should put him above her,even if only slight,and only noticeable to beings as powerful as them.

Kenneth Rocafort is like my favorite artist ever and it really bummed me out when he left red hood and the outlaws... You should try to get him to start post high DPI images online so I can have a 24" x 36" version of this on my wall?

Because I would pay so much money for large prints of his. :)

I guess I should talk about Superman now >.< even though I really want to ask about your response the last time you were asked about Static as a Teen Titan...

Personally after Smallville I always liked the idea of Superman and Lex being best friends... sense you were able to repair a ruined relationship like Jason and Bruce... do you think you'd ever want to go down a Lex redemption story where he could become a close friend of Superman?

Hello Mr Lobdell,

This may be somewhat off-topic, but in regards to the Man of Steel film, did you agree with Superman killing Zod and do you think you'd ever write the character doing a similar action? Or is it something you personally would never write Superman doing under any circumstances?

Also, if Superman really did leave Earth or died permanently, do you believe Lex Luthor would actually do things for the benefit of humanity?

Hey Scott Lobdell

Here are a couple questions I have really wanted to ask someone that a bigger part of the new 52, I am just curious as to how you would have Lois and Clark get together in the new 52 and if it was up to you how long would you wait to do it?

My other question is more about how do you approach a story in the new 52? do you ever find it harder because many villains do not have much of a history yet?

Thanks for your time.

@powerwoman: that wasnt superman,it was a nanite alien thing,it was more powerful,it fed on superman,superman only beat it,because he was linked to it,so he used it to his advantage.

Look superman could probably beat kara for sure,but it wouldnt be because of power levels,but his skill.

@powerwoman: its like you dont want to listen,THAT IS NOT SUPERMAN,it looks like him,but it isnt,the real Superman was floating unconscious in space at the time,come on buddy,read the rest of the issue.

@scott_lobdell:

Thanks for the responses! Sad to see SBP go but at least that is settled!

@powerwoman: ok,are you deliberatly acting like you cant understand what im writing? 1)that was not superman who beat up kara 2) superman beat him cause he had a link to it,and he used that link to beat it.he depowered it,by taking control of his own mind,and not letting it use him anymore

Go reread the issue please,im getting a headache here.

@powerwoman: real superman asleep,fake superman stronger,real superman awake,fake superman weaker

@scott_lobdell: You got any plans on ever using Mongul?