DC kicked off its second major panel of WonderCon, Countdown to Crisis Saturday afternoon, with Dan DiDio serving as host.
DiDio opened the panel by warming up the crowd and welcoming the audience and then introduced the panelists: Mike Carlin, Trinity writer Kurt Busiek, his penciling partner Mark Bagley, writers Judd Winick and Adam Beechen, and DC’s Bob Wayne and Jann Jones.
DiDio then announced a special panelist - J. Michael Straczynski. DiDio said that Straczynski will be working with DC Comics in the very near future.
DiDio welcomed JMS to the panel, and said that it was exciting for him personally to bring him to DC, as he's a huge Babylon 5 fan.
JMS said that he has always been a massive DC fan, and has more Curt Swan original artwork than he can describe. "The chance to work in the new universe is a great opportunity," JMS said.
He added that he's looking at projects for later this year and the first part of next year, to which DiDio added that he has an open door and is more than welcome to work on anything he'd like.
DiDio then moved on to correcting something he said at yesterday's panel, saying that there is no BatWOMAN series coming soon, but Adam Beechen will be writing a new BatGIRL mini-series.
Beechen said that the story will answer all the questions from the last few years, and will address all of the questions of why Batgirl has been acting the way she's been acting, and set the stage for new Batgirl adventures to come.
DiDio then moved to Winick and asked him to talk about what's going on in his titles.
Winick spoke about the ending of the Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special, saying that it was the most over the top thing they could think of, and no one in the production of the book thought anyone would take is seriously. "It was so over the top we thought it was obvious....we brought him back right away. And then, we shot Connor."
This was met by a chorus of "boos" from the crowd, which Winick answered with "He's not dead, dead - he's just brain dead - in comics, that's nothing."
And besides," Winick continued, "I'm the schmuck that brought back Jason Todd - he can always come back."
DiDio then moved to Busiek, asking him what prompted him to want to take on a weekly series by himself. "Rank stupidity," Busiek deadpanned.
The writer explained (as he previously has to Newsarama) how he original pitched an idea to DiDio that would have been seven pages a week, and two years later, it's 22 pages.
Asked about his role in it, Mark Bagley joked that he came to DC to get away from Straczynski, to which the writer said, "There is no escape."
The artist said that he was reluctant to come to WonderCon because he had to get back to work, and that's one of the way he can stay on track - by not going to conventions. "I've got some other artists I'd like you to tell that to," DiDio joked.
Carlin then spoke about Trinity, saying that the main story starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman will be connected to the back-up stories to tell one larger, three-act story. Additionally, Carlin reiterated that Trinity will not be connected to the rest of the DC Universe, and will stand on its own.
Busiek said that the backups will be tight in their connection, as the first back up will introduce the villains of the story, the backup in issue #2 will start a major battle, etc...
Opening to questions for JMS (as he had to leave early), DiDio was asked by someone in the crowd if they are going to divorce Superman, in apparent reference to the aftermath of JMS’s last Spider-Man story, “One More Day.
"Never,” DiDio said.
JMS answered another fan, saying that he's hoping to do more Babylon 5 comics now that he's back at DC, and hopefully, will be able to complete the Babylon 5 graphic novel.
"Superman," was JMS' answer when asked who is his favorite DC character?
Moving to the "kids books" Jones said that a woman stopped by the DC booth Friday and said that reading Tiny Titans was like getting a hug. As the crowd said a unison "awwwww" Carlin quickly interjected, "That's not what reading Trinity is going to be like."
In discussing the titles, DiDio hinted that perhaps as many as two more titles are coming from DC in the same vein as Tiny Titans, Super Friends, and The Magic of Shazam.
Asked if there were plans to collect the original Ambush Bug, Wayne and DiDio said that they would be considering it in the coming weeks.
"She will be appearing...in things," DiDio answered when asked if Batwoman will be appearing soon. He added that the character will be an integral part of the DC Universe in 2008.
"At the end of Countdown, the multiverse is rarin' to go," Carlin said when a fan asked about the health of the multiverse.
Asked about Aquaman, DiDio asked the fan back who is Aquaman now, to which the fan answered, "I'm not sure right now."
DiDio took a poll of the audience to see which Aquaman was the crowd's favorite, which showed the audience to be split among the different versions. DiDio said that it's something they're trying to figure out - which Aquaman should be the Aquaman to bring back.
DiDio said that while the Jim Aparo version is most recognizable, the "harpoon hand" version is also well recognized in the media. All in all, DiDio said, they're taking their time to bring Aquaman back.
Asked about the previously-announced-some-time-ago All-Star Batgirl, DiDio said that neither the announced creative team of Geoff Johns or JG Jones will be able to do it in the near future, and they are looking at bringing in another team to do it, but have to wait for the other team to come free with their schedules.
Winick said that he will be returning to this own creation Barry Ween some time in the future, and is actually kicking around a story idea now.
The young fan that gave DiDio a hard time about Wally West Flash last year was back in the crowd this year, and thanked DiDio for bringing Wally back. DiDio asked the fan to come up and sit on the panel with the creators as he told the crowd the story about how the young fan doggedly stuck to his question about Wally West returning last year.
The fan, named Wyatt, remained on the panel as the official "maybe" person to answer questions with that word.
"He's coming back, but he's more dangerous than ever - now he's Quadragon!" Busiek answered to a question of whether or not Trigon will be returning in the pages of Titans.
DiDio said that Green Lantern will shortly explore the secrets of the origin of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern, followed by the Red Lanterns which leads into the “Darkest Night” storyline.
There are no plans at this time for a Batman Beyond comic book series.
Winick's answer to bringing back Tempest/Aqualad - yes, but not right away was his answer. "It's Titans, so of course."
Answering a question about Jimmy Olsen's fate, Carlin revealed that the cover to Countdown #2 features a giant Turtle Boy fighting Darkseid. Astute readers will remember however, that Friday at WonderCon it was revealed Olsen will survive Countdown and in fact, Geoff Johns and James Robinson have big plans for him in the Superman titles.
Plans for the 50th Anniversary of the Legion of Super-Heroes? "You will see the Legion of Super-Heroes, you will see the Legion of Super-Heroes, and you will see the Legion of Super-Heroes in the DC Universe #0"
Currently there are no plans to bring out trades of the earlier issues of Birds of Prey.
Asked if Supergirl can show up in Tiny Titans, DiDio and Jones said that they are looking at bringing Supergirl into the young readers’ series.
Asked if one of the 52 Earths of the DC multiverse was the Milestone Universe, DiDio said that he loves the Milestone books, and feels that it would be great to see those books come back, and that it's something that they need to work out with the Milestone creators. "It's something that takes lawyers rather than fans," Carlin said. "We've actually worked on it many times over the years, and we keep at it and hope to get something working."
Hawkman will be playing a part in Final Crisis, DiDio said, but he will be playing a larger role in Rann/Thanagar: Holy War
.
"He's in Trinity as well, starting with issue #6," Busiek said.
Are there plans for a Power Girl monthly series? Wayne said that he thought he saw it on a big board in a room, but it wasn't there lately.
"There's a story that's going to be told where Power Girl goes to visit Earth-2, and how that story resolves itself could ultimately lead to more stories for Power Girl," DiDio said.
Asked if there are more plans for Harley Quinn, DiDio said, "If you came to the New York Comic Con (April), I would have answers for you," referring to the current developments with the character in Countdown.
Will Wonder Girl, Robin, and the rest of the sidekicks ever stop being so "emo?" DiDio: "Have you ever met a teenager?"
DiDio said that the upcoming Rogues Revenge will address what's been going on with the Rogues, and their part in Bart Allen's death and how they come to reconcile that.
Is the “Great Disaster” of Countdown and Final Crisis the same thing? Carlin: "No - you will see the Great Disaster in Countdown."
Is there any chance of a letter column in any book other than Ambush Bug? "No plans at this time," DiDio said.
Is Earth-13 the animated DCU? DiDio: "No. It's supposed to be a darker version of the DC Universe."
The big story of Final Crisis? "It is the day that evil wins in the DCU," DiDio said.
What are the Kuberts doing? Adam is finishing up the “Last Son” story, and will be moving on to a standalone mini-series; Andy's is on his second issue of a four-part mini-series, and has another project DC will be announcing later this year.
A Lex Luthor mini-series is in the works that's not on the schedule yet.
The Sinestro Corps will not be playing a role in Final Crisis, but the Alpha Lanterns will be.
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