Grant Morrison's Superman

[TheButcher]

From Bleeding Cool:
Cover To Action Comics #1, Superman In Jeans And An American Citizen Again

[url]From the NY Post,[/url]the cover to Action Comics #1 by Rags Morales, shipping from DC in September.

Grant Morrison is quoted as saying “We felt it was time for the big adventures of a 21st-century Paul Bunyan who fights for the weak and downtrodden against bullies of all kinds, from robot invaders and crime lords to corrupt city officials”.

The NY Post also states that the DC Relaunch “nullifies” the issue of Superman renouncing his American citizenship.

[TheButcher]

From The New York Post:
Bird? Plane? Superdude! - Jeans, tee in new #1

Here's the cover to the first "Action Comics" No. 1 in 73 years -- and the latest version of Superman is part E.T., part Paul Bunyan and even a little Bruce Springsteen.

"This is a young Superman who still believes a better world for everyone is possible," said writer Grant Morrison, who'll be chronicling the Man of Steel's days as the world's first superhero when DC Comics relaunches its entire line of comics in September.

The Post got a sneak peek ahead of this week's San Diego Comic-Con.

While most of the titles, including "Batman" and "Green Lantern," will showcase DC's iconic heroes when they're well into their careers, "Action Comics" shows the earliest adventures of Superman, who's initially a bluejeans-and-T-shirt-wearing crimefighter with a small red cape.

"We felt it was time for the big adventures of a 21st-century Paul Bunyan who fights for the weak and downtrodden against bullies of all kinds, from robot invaders and crime lords to corrupt city officials," said Morrison, a former "X-Men" writer.

"The new look reflects his status as a street-level defender of the ordinary man and woman."

The series will show how Clark Kent becomes the world's foremost superhero and how he got his iconic costume, which has been tweaked in the new continuity -- meaning no more red briefs.

The original "Action Comics" No. 1, which featured the debut of Superman, is one of the world's most sought-after comics. A copy sold for $1.5 million last March.

Earlier this year, the series reached its 900th issue, which included a controversial story in which Superman declared he intended to renounce his US citizenship.

That storyline is effectively nullified by the relaunch.

[TheButcher]

From Newsarama:
Single, Orphaned, Alien: Big Changes for DCnU SUPERMAN

Superman and Lois Lane are breaking up, and that's not the only major change coming to the world's most iconic superhero.

 September's Action Comics #1 and Superman #1 will introduce several major alterations to the character, sources at DC confirm.

Husband and wife since 1996 in the comics, the new status quo will find Clark Kent and Lois Lane not only unmarried, but establish that they were never married in the first place. Clark will be a bachelor, and Lois will have a new boyfriend, one whose identity is yet to be revealed but is said to be a Daily Planet colleague.

Additionally, Superman's alien origins will be emphasized in a big way, with the character described as "more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas." Superman's deep connection to his Kryptonian heritage also explains his new costume, as seen on the cover of Superman #1. It's "ceremonial armor" from his home planet, with the traditional red trunks abandoned.

Perhaps part of the reason Superman's embracing his alien nature is the loss of his adopted parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent are both dead in DC's post-Flashpoint continuity, a pronounced change from the recent past, and a return to the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths status quo in that respect.

Action Comics, which focuses on Superman's early superhero career, depicts a "younger, more brooding" Man of Steel adjusting to his adopted homeworld. His powers are still in development at this point, as he "can leap tall buildings but can't fly in space." The series, written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Rags Morales, will also show the evolution of his costume from jeans and work boots to Kryptonian armor.

Kal-El's present will be told in Superman, with a "new status quo at the Daily Planet" and a new gig at the paper for Lois Lane. Additionally, the series, by George Perez and Jesus Merino, will show that "there's a price to pay for being Superman" and debut a brand-new villain, one said to be more powerful than the Man of Steel.

DC's impending relaunch consists of their entire existing slate of DC Universe titles being scrapped, with 52 new titles debuting in their place this September. The first, Justice League #1, is the initial appearance of Superman's new look and in slated to be in stores on August 31. DC is scheduled to address fans regarding the changes at several panels this week at the annual Comic-Con International: San Diego, starting on Thursday.

Since the announcement of the "DCnU" relaunch, rumors and speculation have flourished that Superman's marriage was as good as dead, but this is the first confirmation from the publisher. Last month, DC co-publisher Dan DiDio told the site PopcornBiz that the marriage was being "reexamined."

Action Comics #1 is scheduled for release on September 7, with Superman #1 out on September 28.

[TheButcher]

From The Source:
The New Man of Tomorrow

He has been called the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton and a strange visitor from a distant planet.

He is Superman, the Man of Tomorrow. As part of DC COMICS – THE NEW 52, this September will usher in a new Superman for the new century.

In the pages of ACTION COMICS, writer Grant Morrison and artist Rags Morales will present humanity’s first encounters with Superman, before he became one of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes. Set a few years in the past, it’s a bold new take on a classic hero.

* This Superman is very much an alien, one struggling to adjust to his adopted home. In the series, he must come to terms with both the loss of his home world, as well as the loss of both of his adopted parents. He is more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas. He’s a loner trying to find his place in the world.

* The series’ first storyline will explore the origins of Superman’s costume, as it evolves from a look that includes jeans and work boots to a new look: a suit of battle armor that pays tribute to his Kryptonian past.

* His great powers have limits. When the series begins, Superman can leap tall buildings, but his ability to fly is in its infancy.

And in the SUPERMAN ongoing comic book series, by writer George Perez and artist Jesus Merino, will be set in present day continuity and will unleash a series of new challenges for Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent.

* Clark Kent is single and living on his own. He has never been married.

* Lois Lane is dating a colleague at the DAILY PLANET (and his name isn’t Clark Kent) and she has a new position with the paper.

Timeless and modern, classic and contemporary, but younger, brasher and more brooding, this is Superman. The New Man of Tomorrow.

ACTION COMICS issue 1 goes on sale on September 7 and SUPERMAN issue 1 goes on sale September 28.

[TheButcher]

From CBR:
Grant Morrison is All-Out "Action Comics"

This September, the phrase "faster than a speeding bullet" may take on an all-new meaning in the pages of DC Comics' original superhero title.

As part of the publisher's 52-series, line-wide relaunch of its DC Universe titles, writer Grant Morrison and artist Rags Morales will be chronicling a new introduction for Superman in the pages of "Action Comics" #1, and as the writer told CBR News, making the Man of Steel fast and furious were the cornerstones of his new, blue collar approach. Set five years before the modern stories being told in other DC books like George Perez's "Superman: The Man of Tomorrow" and Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's new "Justice League," "Action" will rework the first superhero's earliest adventures and his relationships including his romance with Lois Lane and his struggle against Lex Luthor.

Below, Morrison explains how his new prose book "Supergods" (which he shared a look inside yesterday) influenced his approach to "Action," why this young Superman is more dangerous and faster than his "All-Star" counterpart, what dynamic working with Morales has brought to the series and when fans will finally be seeing the end of his blockbuster "Batman, Incorporated."

[TheButcher]

Exclusive DC "New 52" Preview: ACTION COMICS #1

[TheButcher]

DC's New Superman Is a Modern, Cynical Superhero

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

And, apparently, a whole new Superman.

As the world is rocked by riots and economic turmoil, DC Comics is restarting its Superman comics to match the current era. This month's new, milestone "Action Comics #1," part of DC's historic relaunch of their superhero line, is scrapping the old, goody-two-shoes Superman in favor of a hero who isn't afraid to break the law and lose his temper.

"I think right now, we're all feeling that way," said Grant Morrison, the writer behind the new Superman in "Action Comics." "Nobody has much faith in their elected leaders in the same way that they did. We all have a lot more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the people who are running our lives than we did when Superman was a 'Boy Scout.'"

As seen in these preview images exclusive to Newsarama, this new Superman fights with criminals, but he sometimes battles the police and the government. "If anyone in the world's been bullied, then Superman exists to take out the bully, no matter how big or smart or armed that bully might be," he said.”

The original "Action Comics #1," published in 1938, introduced Superman as the world's first superhero. A copy of the now-rare issue sold for $1.5 million just last year. That original series was published continuously since its debut, but August's "Action Comics #904" was the monumental final sequential issue.

Now the legendary series starts over for the first time, and Morrison said he found the task of writing a new "Action Comics #1" "daunting." But he compared the era of Superman's first appearance in the 1930s to the current day, justifying the hero's reintroduction.

"A lot of people were losing their jobs and losing their livelihood [in the 1930s], and a lot of people were realizing there was corruption in high places," Morrison said. "I think we're at that time again."

The new "Action Comics" - on sale digitally and in comic book shops Sept. 7 - and tells a very modern version of how a young, blue jeans-wearing Superman first shows up around 2005 in a modern yet dilapidated Metropolis, Morrison said.

"Superman is just a guy who is very young at this point, and he has big ideas about what is right and wrong," Morrison said. "And he has the power to implement those ideas."

Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, has lost both his earthly parents before he gets a job as a reporter in the big city. As a result, Morrison said, Superman doesn't have the elderly Kents urging him to make nice with the world.

"It means that he can maybe go a little too far," Morrison said. "To a certain extent, he enjoys being on his own because no one can get hurt and it's all down to him. But at the same time, that means there's no limit on him as he loses his temper."

In the previous Superman continuity, Clark had been married to long-time girlfriend Lois Lane for years. But the new "Action Comics" has Clark as a bachelor again, with Lois dating another man and working as a rival journalist.

Plus, this new Superman can't fly yet — leaping buildings instead — and he can bleed.

Why? Because Morrison said he was too disconnected from the world, and readers had trouble relating to him. The writer's opportunity to change the Man of Steel's world on a dime comes as part of DC's line-wide "reboot" of their entire superhero universe, allowing creators and retailers the chance to get to know these decades-old characters when they're just beginning their crime-fighting careers and gaining experience on the job.

"The whole thing we're doing in this new Superman is to watch him learn and grow and progress, and I find that's what makes the big difference," Morrison said. "The guy we had before was in his prime. He was eternally in his prime, and everything he did was going to work out.

"So what we're trying to do is bring back that proactive Superman, but also allow him to change and to make these mistakes and to get beaten up a bit, and to have to come back and rethink his mission," he said.

"I wanted to see him sweat a little and to bleed a little," Morrison said, "and to restore him to a kind of humanity that we could all understand before moving him on."

[TheButcher]

Morrison Writes a Social Justice Superman in ACTION COMICS

Next week, a new Superman hits the DC Universe in Action Comics #1, the much-hyped relaunch of the long-running series.

Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Rags Morales, this new version of Action Comics brings a young, bold Clark Kent into a modern Metropolis of 2005. When Clark appears in public as Superman, he's the first superhero the world has ever seen, so he's met by fear and suspicion. He ends up working outside the law, often breaking it and sometimes losing his temper as he fights for what he believes is right.

As Newsarama detailed previously (accompanied by some exclusive preview pages), Morrison thinks this new Superman's outside-the-government approach mirrors the mood of the world today.

"I think right now, we're all feeling that way," he said. "Nobody has much faith in their elected leaders in the same way that they did. We all have a lot more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the people who are running our lives than we did when Superman was a 'boy scout.'"

But Morrison said much more. Here we reveal the full transcript of Newsarama's discussion with Morrison, where the writer also told us more about the new Metropolis, Jimmy Olsen, and how his ideas are linked to the TV series Smallville.

Newsarama:
Grant, was it a challenge to re-introduce Superman as a new hero without public support, since he's such an iconic and accepted part of popular culture? How difficult is it to create that world where people don't accept Superman?

Grant Morrison:
That was actually the most fun of it, to try to make it seem as if we'd never, ever read a superhero story before. It was really difficult, because obviously everyone's really familiar with this stuff. I guess my idea was to just to treat it more like a science fiction story, which I like to do to get to the roots of these things. And to say, 'here's what it would be like if this guy just appeared in this world.'

There are differences. Metropolis is the 'City of Tomorrow' but it clearly is not our world. It's not New York or Marvel or any of those things. It's very much Metropolis and Gotham, and the DC Universe. The idea was to take the DC Universe and treat it almost as a science fiction playground, and this was the first time this had happened. And to show how it works in Metropolis, a city that has always tried to be the City of Tomorrow, but now it's 2011, or 2005 I guess, since these stories are taking place in the past. But it's slightly run down, you know? The machines don't work. The robot trains are kind of useless. There's graffiti everywhere. And it's kind of like the way New York was in the 1970's, before they cleaned up the place. So the Metropolis we're doing is a lot scarier, it's a lot more urban than I think we've ever seen it before. It's maybe a bit more like Gotham city, but it's not as dark and gothic. But in terms of crime, it's kind of like '70s New York.

That's such a long answer, but I guess I was trying to take a few elements from different places to make Metropolis seem like a real city, more than maybe it's been before.

Then I tried to introduce Superman to that and play with what would happen if it wasn't the character we're familiar with.

And as you see, they don't know who he is. The cops don't know him. They can't trust him. He's willing to break the law. So obviously, people are scared as well, because he's using these incredible powers, and no one quite knows what that means.

Newsarama:
It's interesting that you compare it to Gotham a bit, because there's been quite a reaction to this idea that Superman is willing the break the law. I think because Superman is so established as the good guy that it's strange to think of him being at odds with the authorities, but I assume he's got a motivation for what he's doing?

Grant Morrison:
Oh, always. Superman stands for justice, not necessarily for the law. And I think that's what makes this guy different. But as you know, I'm only taking that aspect of it from the original 1938 version, which was the original Superman. He was very much... you know, those stories were set in a pretty convincing real life world, and Superman was dealing with corruption and the law and the cops and then Congress, as much as he was dealing with just street crime and day-to-day violence.

So he always had that social justice, and we're just taking it back. I think right now, we're all feeling that way. Nobody has much faith in their elected leaders in the same way that they did. We all have a lot more cynicism and a lot more doubt about the people who are running our lives than we did when Superman was a 'Boy Scout.' So we're taking him back to the '30s, when people did have that doubt, and a lot of people were losing their jobs and losing their livelihood, and a lot of people were realizing there was corruption in high places.

I think we're at that time again, a very cynical, very doubting time. Superman's more the hero for that than he was for, say, the patriotic hero that he was in the '40s, or the domestic dad hero that he was in the '50s.

Newsarama:
But you said Superman is still about justice, so is his attitude less cynical and anti-establishment than it is focused on changing that establishment for the better?

Grant Morrison:
It's not just the establishment. He's against everything he sees that's wrong. He's against crime. He's against wife-beaters. He's against people who kick dogs and cats, as much as he's against the evil Congressman or big business.

Superman is just a guy who is very young at this point, and he has big ideas about what is right and wrong. And he has the power to implement those ideas. Certainly, he stands up for the common man and for poor people and the dispossessed and the downtrodden. That's really what it's all about. If anyone in the world's been bullied, then Superman exists to take out the bully, no matter how big or smart or armed that bully might be.

Newsarama:
What was behind the decision to have him unable to fly at this point? Was that just to align him with how he was first introduced?

Grant Morrison:
A little bit of that. But mostly to kind of bring him down to our level finally. A lot of people had been complaining. Part of the loss of Superman's popularity in the comics has been because he's not been much like us.

Obviously, in the TV show Smallville, he's been a lot more like us. And that's actually been the most popular version of Superman probably for the last 15 years. So even though I haven't seen a single episode of Smallville, I know what it's about. And I wanted to do a Superman who could almost be traced to those roots. And a Superman who was a little younger, who wasn't as completely powered up as he is in the current continuity, and who can be hurt. His nose can be bloodied, he can have his ribs broken, and although they may heal very quickly, it takes a little bit of effort to do the feats that he does.

I wanted to see him sweat a little and to bleed a little, and to restore him to a kind of humanity that we could all understand before moving him on.

So yeah, it's all about grounding him so he can be a bit more like us, 'cause I felt that was the best way of then re-introducing the powers, as he starts to get stronger. The longer he spends under Earth's sun, the more exponentially stronger and powerful he becomes, and we'll see that Superman in the current day.

Newsarama:
And Lois and Clark aren't married in this version, and we've heard that Lois even has a boyfriend. The new readers you're targeting may have never been aware of their marriage. But how would you describe their relationship now, in this new comic, and how important a role will it play in the story?

Grant Morrison:
In Action, the first six issues, they barely know one another. Lois is sort of a girl about town, a rising reporter. And Clark Kent works for the rival newspaper. In my first six issues, he doesn't even work for The Daily Planet, but Lois and Jimmy do. And Clark works for The Daily Star. So they're kind of rivals. And she doesn't even have the thing about Superman yet. Superman's only just come on the scene. She gave him the name. And she's obviously fascinated by him. But there's a lot more to Lois than that.

So I'm just exploring the whole 'army-brat-becomes-a-crusading-journalist' arc, which is very strange, that she's General Lane's daughter and he's very deep in the military establishment, yet at the same time, she's an investigative journalist. So there's a lot of friction there.

It's just a whole new kind of set-up for Lois and Clark.

When it comes up to the current day, I'm not quite sure. I'm taking my cues from Geoff Johns and George Pérez, and how they're playing it in the present day. And I know things are quite different again.

The fun has been kind of messing up the relationship and allowing both characters to maybe see other people. And to know there is a love affair there, but we're watching it grow and develop rather than is handed to us on a plate.

Newsarama:
Is Jimmy different in this world?

Grant Morrison:
Yeah, I mean, I like a capable Jimmy, from the start, rather than a buffoon. So there's a bit of that. Again, he's a young guy.

The way I'm playing it is that rather than him being 'Superman's friend,' which never seemed to make a lot of sense, he's Clark Kent's friend. And the two of them get on because they're a couple of really smart geeks. They're into everything from astronomy to zombies, and they love hanging out and talking.

So Jimmy becomes Superman's friend eventually because Jimmy started out as Clark's best friend. He was the first person he knew when he came to the big city. It's much more about the two friends on that level, which I think is a different, slightly warmer, more believable dynamic between the two characters.

Newsarama:
How significant is the change from being able to go home and be able to see Mom and Dad on the Kent farm to the way you have it now, where he doesn't have that support system?

Grant Morrison:
No, he doesn't, and I kind of like that. It means that he can maybe go a little too far. Part of what we're exploring, as well, is that this guy can go a little too far. There's nobody really holding him back. And luckily for us, he has a very strong morality and sense of justice. But at the same time, some things you can push a little too far.

And you can see that in Clark as well. Clark is much more proactive. He's an investigative journalist, and he's very serious about it. He exposes all kinds of corruption that gets him into all kinds of trouble.

He kind of likes the idea that there's no way of getting to him and no one who can harm him. As Superman and as Clark, he's working as a superhero on both fronts.

So to a certain extent, he enjoys being on his own because no one can get hurt and it's all down to him. But at the same time, that means there's no limit on him as he loses his temper.

It allows us to play with different things that maybe open up new, and more interesting avenues that the character may go down.

Because what happens when there's no Ma and Pa Kent to say slow down or stop it? And he wants to change the world overnight?

Newsarama:
But you mentioned that he has a sense of justice. Does that come from having been raised by the Kents?

Grant Morrison:
Absolutely. And it also comes from the fact that he's the son of a couple of super-logical scientists. So he has a certain way of looking at the world that could have been quite cold. But at the same time, he was raised by these two kind of humble, hard-working people who had a very specific and basic morality. So yeah, he's learned from that. And he has more to learn, because those two people who lived in the heartland of America only knew so much.

So again, the whole thing we're doing in this new Superman is to watch him learn and grow and progress, and I find that's what makes the big difference.

The guy we had before was in his prime. He was eternally in his prime, and everything he did was going to work out. And the only way to deal with that was to make him a wimp, in a lot of cases.

So what we're trying to do is bring back that proactive Superman, but also allow him to change and to make these mistakes and to get beaten up a bit, and to have to come back and rethink his mission.

Newsarama:
Is there added weight on your shoulders because this is Action Comics #1? Does the significance of that resonate with you as you approach this?

Grant Morrison:
Oh, very much! I was totally panicking!

For the first time in my life, I thought, wow, I have to really make this count.

So yeah, I was very aware of it.

Now, I'm much further into it. I'm writing Issue #5 right now. That milestone has been forgotten, and I'm on my roller coaster now, so I don't feel quite so bad. But certainly, approaching that first issue was quite daunting. I hope people like it. I looks pretty good, because Rags Morales has done an amazing job on it. I think it's turned out as a beautiful looking book. His version of Clark Kent's amazing, this kind of weird Harry Potter version of Clark Kent. It's brilliant.

Newsarama:
Are you having fun with this?

Grant Morrison:
Oh yeah! Especially now that I'm into it a little bit, and I've worked out the story for 16 issues. Once I've got the big, overarching plan, it all starts to get a lot more exciting. So yeah, I'm having a great time on Superman, because I've been able to come at it from a different angle.

Newsarama:
As long as I've got you on the phone Grant, can you just give us an update on Multiversity and your Batman work?

Grant Morrison:
Batman Incorporated, I know Chris is about halfway through the last issue, issue #10. So although that's late, it will be out soon. And then the Leviathan book will be scheduled to come out, I think, at the start of the year. Again, we want to keep that one monthly. So the idea is to get a little bit ahead and not have the problems we had on Batman Incorporated.

But yeah, that's all going. And Multiversity is going great. Frank Quitely is working on his pages right now. Nobody else has started, because we got Frank started first. But he's already going with his stuff. So all that stuff's going well.

Mutliversity is a lot more along the lines of the feel of Seven Soldiers, I think. I'm very pleased with it. I took a lot of time with it. And I think it's the best thing I've ever, ever done. If I stop after Multiversity, that will be good enough.

[TheButcher]

Grant Morrison Talks About Action Comics, His Batman Mega-Story, and Mothers [Interview]

[TheButcher]

Grant Morrison Clears Up Bizarre ACTION COMICS #1 Controversy

[TheButcher]

From BC:
Gene Ha To Draw Pages For Action Comics #3

Action Comics #1 was 29 pages long, and subsequent issues look like they’ll be of a similar or greater size. We’ve already heard that Brent Anderson of Astro City fame will be contributing a few pages to an upcoming issue to help out, now Bleeding Cool understands that Gene Ha of Top Ten fame will also be lending a hand, on issue 3, drawing the last days of Krypton. Rags Morales will still be drawing the majority of the issue, however.

[TheButcher]

Morrison's Superman is a Man of "Action"

Grant Morrison has a long history of weaving epic stories of heroic magnitude, often laced with a Molotov cocktail of the macabre and the surreal. But for "Action Comics" -- his entry for the New 52 from DC Comics -- the superstar writer has returned to the early days of superhero comics and the now legendary adventures of Superman, champion of the oppressed, who has sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need.

Having tackled the character several years back in his and Frank Quitely's critically acclaimed "All-Star Superman," Morrison was thrilled with the opportunity to re-imagine the Man of Steel once again; especially when he learned he'd be writing the Man of Steel's adventures in a brand-new "Action Comics" -- truly, the granddaddy of all superhero comics.

Teamed with artist Rags Morales ("Identity Crisis"), Morrison's Superman stories form the backstory of the new DCU as the title's timeline differs from a majority of the other series. Set earlier than every other series, in "Action Comics" Clark Kent is just beginning to learn the full extent of his superpowers and, understandably, he's not quite sure how to use them yet.

Brash and bold, pure and powerful, Morrison's Superman is equal parts Li'l Abner and Paul Bunyan, and with his cape filling the role of Babe the Blue Ox, nothing is going to stop the world's first superhero. Except maybe Lex Luthor, a horde of villains and an acid-tongued young lady named Lois Lane.

CBR News: I don't think I'm alone in calling "All-Star Superman" one of the seminal runs of the past 25 years in comics. Why return to the legendary character in "Action Comics?"

Grant Morrison: The number one reason I came back to Superman for "Action Comics" was the fact that it all started with "Action Comics" #1, and it all ended with "Action Comics" #1.

Beyond that, after "All-Star Superman," I really wanted to do an early years' Superman story and tell it using the original Superman from the 1930s and 1940s, the version of Superman from before the war. This presented a great opportunity to restart the character. And it also allowed me a chance to tell the stories I hadn't had a chance to tell before.

Did you go back and read those early issues to get a feel for his voice and persona from that era?

I re-read "Action Comics" #1 while preparing for the book because I started off by talking about "Action," in general, and how I felt it really worked. I got a new appreciation for it and a new understanding of how fast and how colorful it must have seemed to people at the time. This was, of course, the time of black and white cinema and Superman burst onto the scene with this incredible velocity. I kind of really got into that early Superman, which was something that I wasn't really a big fan of before. So to answer your question, yes, I've read the "Superman Chronicles" right through the first couple of years of "Superman" when it was really quite pure and brash.

Can you bring us up to speed to where Superman is at this point in your story in terms of strength and powers? Is he leaping tall buildings in a single bound or is he flying?

Well, he's kind of in a space between leaping and flying. [Laughs] Right now, he's kind of leaping, but he's in this moment between doing this and this other thing. You get to see what his limits truly are in "Action Comics" #7. You get to see if he can actually run or jump or fly. That development is a big part of what we're doing. But right now, he's kind of an inbetweener. He's only six months into his career.

What about the development of his personality? In your first issue, which was a lot of fun, Superman is dangling villains from the ledge of buildings and, shall we say, getting his hands dirty in a number of different ways. Will we witness some sort of evolution in "Action Comics," in which Superman becomes the more iconic Superman of the past 30 or 40 years?

Part of this first story arc shows how he goes from being an outlaw to the world's first superhero. It's very much about that and about the pressures that would be placed on you if you had this bright idea that you were going to change the world.

During your run on "Batman," you really expanded the Dark Knight's mythos, introducing and re-introducing characters and locales from the past, present and future while interweaving an epic story between your title and the other Bat-books. Do you have similar plans for Superman in "Action Comics?"

Well, I always have a long-term plan. But for now, we are doing six-issue arcs, major arcs, with some fill-in stories in between. No done-in-ones. This is more of long-term story, definitely.

It may turn into something much bigger. The overall villain already appeared in "Action Comics" #1. He's handling a lot of the stuff that will unfold during the entire first season of "Action Comics.'

Will you pepper the New DCU with new villains and supporting characters, or will you be going back to Superman's roots with tried and true characters like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor?

Creating new characters is definitely part of the fun of it, but all of those old characters will be seen in "Action Comics," too. They are always interesting. All of those guys will be seen in "Action Comics," all your old favorites, but there will be a new take on them.

Some of new villains I am creating are taking old Superman concepts to the next level. I've kind of imagined what it would be like if we pushed it a little bit further. And there are a whole bunch of other characters that are just completely new. I did that with "Batman," because I feel if you are going to go on a run on a book, it's always good to introduce a few new villains.

You mentioned how Superman is on the path to becoming the world's first superhero. So what about the other superheroes? How soon before we see Superman interacting with Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice Leaguers featured in the new Geoff Johns/Jim Lee title?

There is a Justice League scene coming up pretty soon. I think it's in "Action Comics" #6. You get to see my take on this early Justice League with this very powerful sort of kid who is trying to relate to them all.

Can you talk a bit about the look of Superman? I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see him in jeans and work boots.

Sometimes, I think the costume just kind of gets thrown into the story. Or his mother made it. I started with that and had Superman developing the costume while he's developing into a superhero. He would start, before he had his Kryptonian suit, with some kind of variant of the suit he'd create for himself. I figured, you know, coming from Kansas, he'd be wearing kind of work clothes -- a pair of boots, some rolled-up jeans and a t-shirt. We've got a scene later where Superman goes into a store and is basically ordering up a whole bunch of Superman t-shirts, [Laughs] with Superman logos in all different colors. So that's what he wears. I kind of liked that. To start "Action Comics" again, to take it away from the superhero concept and take it back to slightly more of a folk tale-ish type of a thing.

That's why Superman looks a little bit like Li'l Abner, a little bit more Americana. We also have the cape that he wears, which is the one piece of material that he has from the planet Krypton. It's indestructible, so it's almost been his best pal or his security blanket as I've called it. I've been adding different meanings to some of the things we take for granted with him, hoping it might help people see Superman in a new light; a completely fresh light.

This week, George Perez launched his take on the Man of Steel with "Superman." Do you think there is an inherent difference between the types of stories that should be told in "Action Comics" versus those in "Superman?"

I don't know. It's all the same character. Whatever version of Superman is appearing or whatever costume he's wearing, he should still be the same character; maybe just at a different point in his life. I think that makes Superman a little more dynamic, as we watch him change and witness the different things that have happened to him throughout his life. You get to see how he is different from what he was before.

You have a long history of writing critically acclaimed and bestselling comics, often at the same time. Is the historic significance of writing an "Action Comics" #1 lost on you or is that something you are pretty proud of?

Of course. Anyone who is into comics at all would think that's a wonderful thing. I was really excited about it. To be given the chance to kind of restart Superman and re-imagine Superman, which I think is the most important part of it, is pretty special. Just the chance to do something a little bit different.

Earlier, you said you went back and read the earlier appearances of Superman. In terms of the pacing of the first few issues of the original "Action Comics," is that something you are trying to mimic in the early days of your run, or was it important to ramp up the pacing in order to keep pace with the world as it is in 2011?

The pacing is pretty amazing. The [original "Action Comics" #1] really starts with Superman jumping through the air, carrying this gagged blonde under his arm. It's quite racy and we don't even know who this guy is. Then, he keeps moving till the very end. So yes, I am very much trying to do something in the vein of "Action Comics."

The second issue is very different, because Superman is confined to a chair for half of it so you have to do different things to get the feeling of "Action." And the third issue is different again, because Superman only appears in a few panels. It's mostly a Clark Kent story. So again, it's a different type of story.

Will we see a lot of Superman as Clark Kent in your book? And can you tell "Action" worthy stories with Clark instead of Superman?

Definitely. Clark's obviously a big part of it. We're showing a younger Clark, a bit more radical. He's a bit fierier. So it's a lot of fun spending time with him. He's very intelligent and smart.

Does young Clark fall for Lois right off the bat or does he play the field for a bit in Metropolis?

To start, he's barely aware of her. She just insults him. They're kind of sparring partners. I think that's something we'll see develop, and I have plans for Superman to have more romantic interludes with some different women. Not Lois Lane.

You can't have Superman without Lex Luthor. I always loved when Joker would show up for a few pages, or even a few panels of "Batman" during your run. Does Lex play a similar role in "Action Comics," or will we be seeing more of him?

Yeah, Luthor's always going to be there in the texture of the book. He's not necessarily the main antagonist but I think he's always around as part of the cast. If the book was a TV show, you would want to see all of the characters every week. There is always a role for Luthor in there, but he's not necessarily the main villain. In fact, in a lot of instances, he's not the villain at all because he has an excuse for what he's doing. But underneath it all, he's still this envious, jealous, little man. That always stays the same.

Before I let you go, "Batman, Incorporated," a title that really resonated with the fans, is currently on hiatus. What can you tell us about "Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes?"

Chris Burnham is halfway through the "Leviathan Strikes" stuff. He's doing just amazing work. It's really weird. It's Batman trapped in a mind control facility from the cold war. The first issue should be out early in the new year. It took us a long time to do the first run of "Batman, Incorporated," so we wanted to get ahead a bit before "Leviathan Strikes" comes out.

[TheButcher]

From CBR:
Andy Kubert To "Action Comics" In January

New York Comic Con is still four days away, but the news blitz expected to accompany the last big convention of the year has already started in earnest.

DC Comics announced today via a story in the New York Post that artist Andy Kubert, fresh off the universe-changing "Flashpoint" event, will join writer Grant Morrison for a two-issue stint on "Action Comics" starting with January's #5. Regular series artist Rags Morales will be back for issue #7.

"When Editor Matt Idelson asked if I would be interested and/or able to fit into my schedule two upcoming issues of Action Comics with Grant, I couldn’t say no,” Kubert told DC's The Source blog in a follow up post. “I don’t know of any other artist that would have. Drawing the latest incarnation of Superman and working with one of the best writers on the planet made it a very easy decision for me. And in this story, I get to do some VERY iconic stuff! I gotta admit, I’m a little nervous… Fun Fact for those keeping score: I had never drawn Superman in a comics interior for an entire issue. I had done inking over Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway for an issue each over their beautiful pencils way (and I mean WAY) back when but this is my first opportunity to pencil the Man of Steel interior pages for my very own!”

The Post also mentioned that DC will also "reveal the surprising origin of a longtime member of the Justice League" at the show and spoke with Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso about that company's plans for their Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man franchises.

For more, see the NY Post, and stay tuned to CBR for more on Kubert's move and all the news coming from New York Comic Con 2011.

[TheButcher]

Grant Morrison on Action Comics: The PopMatters Exclusive

Just two issues in, and the reboot of Action already begins to read like an achievement. In an age of the superhero auteur who brings a dramatic new vision (and very often ground level-up redesign) of classic heroes, writer Grant Morrison bucked the trend by returning to the original vision of Superman.

Superman returns as the original Liberal Avenger enacting justice against the corrupt and the wealthy who abuse due process and exploit their fellow citizens. Reading Morrison’s Superman is a thrilling. It’s a reminder of the power and the immediacy of the comics medium. And a statement about the weighty decision DC has taken to reengage the broader society. But the rebooted Action is thrilling for a deeper reason as well. It connects to the far-reaching nature of events like Occupy Wall Street. Event which, as David Letterman reminds us in a moment of casual eloquence in his recent interview of President Clinton, has been the very dynamo of social change for issues like Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and Vietnam.

In Morrison’s hands Superman is as fresh and vibrant as what it was at the beginning. There’s a sense of melancholy that isn’t grounded in nostalgia. This is the Superman that might have been. The Superman that we’re getting back just now, just in time. Just two pages into Action’s first issue (the astutely titled “Superman Versus the City of Tomorrow”) and already cries about Superman’s relevance as a character begin to fade away. This is the core of the character that Morrison and his artistic collaborator Rags Morales, has tapped, and this core is timeless. Superman catapulted beyond being simply a character, but recast as a genre in its own right. A genre that connects with such powerful and recognizable mythologies as Robin Hood or King Arthur.

In high-level access exclusive interview to Grant Morrison (facilitated by publisher DC), PopMatters gained insight to the inner workings of the new Action Comics. What follows is Grant Morrison’s thoughts on Superman, in his own words.

* * *

Act One: Grant Morrison’s versus the Doomsday Machine

Don’t for one moment believe that Siegel & Shuster’s original issue of Action fell into any traps of chauvinism. Our first glimpse of Superman, all those decades ago, saw him racing with a bound and gagged woman, towards an unknown location. It’s a mini-adventure in 21 panels, our first taste of the character that would become the genetic launchpad for the entirely new genre of the superhero.

As the story unfolds, readers discover a Superman who may be brusque, but is far from a villain. The woman he carries like a cement-bag is in fact a murderer. The location he speeds towards is the Governor’s mansion, since the Governor alone can stay the execution of an innocent woman. The real enemy here is social inertia. Will Superman be able to bypass the Governor’s executive assistant? Will he be able to wake the Governor asleep behind a steel door? And will the man himself be convinced by Superman’s evidence?

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s (Jerome Siegel actually, as Jerry is credited in the caption box appearing on page one) first comicbook adventure for Superman deliberately breaks 40s-era gender stereotypes. Not just with the story of the murderess, but with Lois Lane herself. It is immediately clear that Lois is a powerful character, more likely to set the terms of the social engagement than to be cowed under by them.

Does Morrison’s opening move then, to cast Lois Lane immediately into the thick of the action rather than use a dinner date with Clark as prelude to her entering the fray read more like a comment on the changed nature of society?

“It certainly wasn’t entirely conscious” Morrison confesses over a warm chuckle. An innocuous comment perhaps, but given the high caliber of Morrison’s writing, it is a comment that reads like a clear statement on how Morrison harnesses his unconscious in the service of his creativity. “But the portrayal of Lois is based on a friend of mine who is a journalist in Glasgow. And she’s constantly on the move and pursuing stories and looking for leads. And I wanted to basically, more than anything else, base the story on journalism as maybe a way to get into other stories”.

It’s certainly a creative decision that seems to work. We meet Superman in media res, attacking a corrupt businessman who thrives on the suffering of the impoverished. There’s an easy fluidness to Morrison’s storytelling, and a frenetic excitement in encountering Superman for the first time. Morrison’s artistic collaborator on Action, Rags Morales, is able to imbue our first glimpses of Superman (a flash of his cape, a motion-blur as he speeds past) with an honest velocity. There’s a sense of perpetuity here, Superman is moving, blazing through, he has always been moving.

It is the Superman we’ve never seen before. A Superman filled with the brio and the vim of youth. A devil-may-care Superman who takes matters into his own hands, righting wrongs as he encounters them. A far cry from the Superman we’ve come to know over the decades past. But a necessary Superman. Is Morrison enjoying this youthful vigor, or is this simply a character arc through which the hero must traverse?

“Oh very much enjoying writing this youthful energy”, Morrison laughs as he answers. He is immersed, completely comfortable in the role of writing this kind of Superman. “It’s very much part of the fun of it. I’ve written twelve issues of All Star Superman, that was my take on the adult Superman, the mature Superman. Having written that I really wanted to go back and write the young Superman. When he was kinda…”

There’s a break in Grant’s speech and the moment singularizes itself. It’s easy to animate these kind of moments, read comics long enough and you animate such moments with the doubts and passions that are uniquely your own. The process is called closure, not the psychological kind, but the kind where you complete the incomplete information with thoughts and hopes of your own.

For just the briefest moment then, I’m lost in animating this momentary pause. Is Grant lost in his own carefree boyhood? Is remembering his wild college days? Is he just taking in the wow of being able to write into a piece of history?

Whatever my expectations, I’m not ready for what Grant actually says. His words strike a far deeper, far more earnest cord. Superman, simply put, Grant’s response to the kind of hard times we’ve faced recently, the things we’ve just been through, and the events that still loom on our collective horizon.

“What would you be like if you were a liberal activist and you’ve just arrived in this very corrupt city from the very heartland of America, where you’ve been brought up with a very simple morality. And I love the idea of, ‘Can one change Superman’? Can you bring in a kind of wildness? I just felt that this was the right time for that kind of Superman. Time to take Superman and dust him off a little bit. Because I think he’s become almost fossilized into a symbol of the flag, with no personality. So I thought it was very important to give him back a little bit of personality”.

Writing this now, I’m watching CNN. Droves of people, after more than a month of protest, have returned to the Occupy Wall Street site. Fears of a renewed push by the owners clear the site of the live-in protest have sparked dozens of people to return. But a last minute petition seems to have worked its magic.

Morrison’s equation of relating “a kind of wildness” directed towards social change with “a little bit of personality” is beguiling.

This vision of personal expression related to liberal activism goes to the heart of Occupy Wall Street. Suddenly, there’s nothing but individual players left on the board, and only individual stories to overcome the grinding turns of what business writer Michael Lewis has term “The Doomsday Machine”. Are we on the cusp of being born in poverty as some doomsayers would have us believe? Not while we have a personal stake in things.

Occupy Wall Street clearly shows a generational shift from the 90s era of haphazard physical confrontation with symbols of state and corporate power. For all the anti-WTO bluster of the late 90s, the World Trade Organization has done more to benefit both corporations and individuals. The simple act of keeping silent during Occupy Wall Street however, seems to assuage the need for physical conflict.

And in a time of increased maturity, fictions become more reckless. In a world where generations-old icons have become immobile and static, Grant Morrison writes the perfect character. A Superman who simply shows up, occupies his own voice and will not leave. Morrison isn’t telling the story of something that has kept us in its thrall for generations. This is the story of how Superman came to matter in the first place.

[TheButcher]

Artist RAGS MORALES on Redesigning SUPERMAN

[TheButcher]

Bryan Hitch makes another DC variant cover appearance with this cover for Action Comics #10

[TheButcher]

From Comic Book Resources:
CBR Annotated Edition: "Action Comics" #1
CBR Annotated Edition: "Action Comics" #2

[TheButcher]

From Newsarama:
DC's October 2012 SOLICITS Preview: SUPERMAN

ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #1
Written by SHOLLY FISCH
Backup story written by MAX LANDIS
Art and cover by CULLY HAMNER
Backup story art by RYAN SOOK
On sale OCTOBER 31 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
• The secrets of the “missing five years” between when Clark Kent came to Metropolis and the present day continue to be revealed!
• In the wake of Brainiac’s attack on Metropolis, Superman faces his first Earth-born villain: the Kryptonite Man!
• Plus: A special backup story by the screenwriter of CHRONICLE, Max Landis!

[TheButcher]

From CA Feb 6th 2013:
Grant Morrison: The 'Action Comics' Exit Interview

There is no denying Grant Morrison is one of the premiere voices in the comic book industry today. Whether he is crafting stories about interdimensional, alien gods enslaving humanity or just reinventing the Justice League for a new generation, it is clear the man is a visionary. Particularly with respect to Superman, of whom Morrison had been telling a distinct, independently consistent saga for a number of years throughout a plethora of titles like JLA, DC One Million and Superman Beyond, concluding with what's arguably the writer's most beloved superhero work, All-Star Superman. But Morrison returned to the Man of Steel in 2011, writing the reboot of Action Comics for DC Comics' New 52 line, with the stated intention of taking a different look at Superman's early years, taking specific inspiration from the "New Deal" era of America in which the character was originally created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel.

With his run of Action Comics coming to an end in March, we thought this was the best time to chat with Morrison about his latest work with the Man of Steel.

[TheButcher]

CBR:
Grant Morrison Stretches The "Action Comics" of Superman

[TheButcher]

CBR:
When Words Collide: Morrison's Super-Saga: "Action Comics" Goes Awry

[TheButcher]

COMICS: First Look At ACTION COMICS #17 - Grant Morrison's Penultimate Issue

[TheButcher]

From Newsarama December 22, 2004:
Grant Morrison: Talking All-Star Superman, Newsarama

Grant Morrison:
My first issue, for instance, has a new power for Superman and I thought I'd come up with something, well...not bad...then I just read - yesterday in fact - the story 'Superman's New Power' which appeared in Superman #125 from November 1958. And guess what Superman's new power was in the 'conservative' ‘50s. That's right - it's a teeny-tiny little Superman who shoots out from the palm of the big Superman's hand and does everything better than Superman himself, leaving the full-size Superman feeling redundant and worthless. Holy analysis, Batman! It's mindbending, brilliant and eerie work. This is what it would be like if Charlie Kaufmann wrote and directed the Superman movie and it's far from goofy or childish, it's genuinely affecting and slightly disturbing to read Superman saying stuff like 'Everyone's impressed except ME! Don't they understand how I feel -- playing second fiddle to a miniature duplicate of myself...a sort of SUPER-IMP?'

And people think I'M weird ? I %$%$^ wish I was weird like this! I wish pop comics today had the balls to be as poetic and poignant and truly 'all-ages' again, and a little less self-conscious. I feel a little ashamed for not even daring to think of a magnificent tiny Superman who makes the real Superman feel inadequate every time he springs from his hand. Those kinds of stories were like weird fever dreams and they sold millions and millions of copies every month.

From CBR:
That Time Superman Gained the Ability to Shoot a Mini-Superman Out of His Hands

Every week, I will spotlight strange but ultimately endearing comic stories (basically, we’re talking lots and lots of Silver Age comic books).

Today we look at the time Jerry Coleman, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye decided to give Superman an…interesting new power in Superman #125′s “Superman’s New Power!” from 1958…

[TheButcher]

'Action Comics #18': Exclusive first look at the conclusion to Grant Morrison's Superman run. Plus: Morrison talks Superman (and Wonder Woman)