In June alone, the Man of Steel will not only star in a new film, but also in two all-new ongoing comic book series: SUPERMAN UNCHAINED and BATMAN/SUPERMAN! Written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Jae Lee, BATMAN/SUPERMAN is an exciting and bold new title that will tell the definitive story of how Batman and Superman met in the DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 universe.
“Our story takes place around the time of Grant Morrison’s ACTION COMICS #1. So it takes place when both of these guys are very young and very new to the whole superhero thing,” Pak revealed to MTV GEEK earlier today. “We’re going to have this fantastic opportunity to see how these very young guys view each other. Imagine finding out for the first time about some guy who runs around in a bat costume fighting crime or some guy with these insane powers doing the same thing. Each hero’s reaction to the other is going to surprise folks a little bit, because they’re both so new. Their reactions to each other are going to be a lot more dangerous than you’re used to thinking about when you think about Batman and Superman.”
“There’s a hugely fun opportunity right now in the New 52 because the way they’ve been set up, particularly in the time frame we’re looking at, and they have no idea about the existence of the other guy,” Pak continued to IGN. “They don’t even know about other superheroes. So when they first bump into each other, they immediately assume the other guy is the most dangerous guy on the planet. And you know what? Each guy might be right about that. They’re powerful enough, they’re young enough, and they’re cocky enough that if they make mistakes, they could make huge mistakes. That’s a really great place to plunge into this relationship and see them push each other in really big ways at this really early stage. I think it’s just going to fuel a lot of great character moments, character development, and story.”
For more from Greg Pak about the launch of BATMAN/SUPERMAN, check out the full interviews that ran this morning with the writer in MTV GEEK, IGN, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, NEWSARAMA, COMIC VINE, and GAMMA SQUAD. And in the gallery above, take a sneak peek at Jae Lee’s interior artwork for BATMAN/SUPERMAN #1, which flies into stores next month!
On Greg Pak’s website he said about writing the Batman/Superman series:
“What makes it compelling as a story and a character is his tremendous backstory, which sets up the character as someone who is different than everybody, but striving to help. That sense of somebody that is an ‘other,’ someone who doesn’t belong but is doing his best to do the right thing all of the time. That’s incredibly compelling and universal. All of us, no matter how much we feel complete, sometimes feel like we’re on the outside, feel like we’re alone, feel like we’re strange and different. That’s why the Harry Potter books and movies are so popular. That’s why the X-Men are so popular. That’s why just about every pop culture phenomenon you can think of is so popular.
It’s amazing how many of the stories we love to cherish explore that sense of being different. That’s a universal human condition. And the reason Superman, in particular, is so compelling is because he’s on the outside, yet he’s doing his best to help everybody. That moral core of the character is something that we all, deep down, want to aspire towards. It’s that struggle to do the right thing that is really compelling. And it’s not easy for him. I think that’s another thing that great Superman writers have explored over the years. This is a guy that — everything should be easy for him because he’s Superman and he can do anything, but he is still in a constant struggle to figure out what the right thing to do is and how to do it.”
– Greg Pak, writer of DC’s upcoming Batman/Superman series, explaining to Comic Book Resources what makes the Man of Steel such a compelling character. End Of Interview.
I am personally excited about the talent of Greg Pak involved with the Batman/Superman series. His fresh ideas in comic writing were great in the long run of Incredible Hulk, the Planet Hulk stuff is already a classic. I am hoping the change in venue from Marvel to DC will get the creative juices going. The Batman and Superman relationship has been a long one since the Worlds Finest days back in the forties. The New 52 universe leaves it open to a new generation of readers to enjoy the world of Batman and Superman in a fresh story. The roots of their relationship will be established in the new DC 52 format and it looks like one of the early stories include a visit to Earth 2. The 2 most popular characters in the DC Universe will be available for reading very soon and we will keep you up to date on more great news in the comic and entertainment world at Comics Talk. Stay tuned comic faithful for more. 🙂 Walt
Fantastic publish, Kudos!… Thanks for bringing Pak’s new assignment to my attention.