Interesting bit of news here at Bleeding Cool…
It’s already been known that Jim Lee is leaving Justice League, but it hasn’t been stated as to what he’s working on next. Though rumors have been rampant about a new WildC.A.T.S. book, I honestly more believed that he’d take a back seat a little bit from the artist’s table. However, if the above rumor (that he and Batman writer Scott Snyder will be teaming for a new Superman: Man of Steel book in 2013, in case you didn’t click it) holds true, I will be one super happy superfan.
Still, this announcement got me thinking — remember when the market could successfully support Superman titles every week? I remember reading them all – Action Comics, Superman, Adventures of Superman, and Man of Steel. And a quarterly Superman: Man of Tomorrow book for times when a month had 5 weeks. I miss those days! Still, let’s say the market could support that string of Superman titles again. I mean, Batman has five titles specifically devoted to him (Detective Comics, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batman Inc.), not including his supporting character’s books. Maybe, with the right creative teams, we could get Superman every week? Who would those teams be?
Action Comics by Ron Marz and Amanda Conner. I talked a little bit about this a couple of weeks ago on Funnybooks, though I said J. Michael Straczynski should be the writer. I stand by that, but I think Ron Marz may actually be a stronger option for a book like this. Marz’s recent Artifacts storyline, as well as his time on Witchblade, have shown that, while he knows how to write superheroics, he can write procedurals just as well. And that’s what I’d make Action Comics. I’d focus on the journalists of the Daily Planet, and perhaps some of Metropolis PD. Lois would be the main star of the book, and if there’s one thing Ron Marz knows how to write, it’s strong women. As for Amanda Conner as my choice of artist? I think she’s damn perfect for a book like this. Her work on Power Girl, as well as her current stuff on Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre, shows she can do a beautiful book with believable characters and emotion – the perfect mix for the type of writing that Ron Marz could do on this title.
Superman: The Man of Steel by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee. Hell yes I’d stick with that choice – how can you beat a dynamite superstar creative team like that? I’m curious to see what Snyder’s typically darker sensibilities can bring to Big Blue. As for Jim Lee? Well, he made For Tomorrow, probably one of my least favorite Superman stories EVER, something I revisit often because it’s just so damn beautiful to look at.
Adventures of Superman by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee. The trick with having four titles about the same hero is to make them have different purposes. While Action Comics would have that superhero procedural feel (think Witchblade or Powers) and Man of Steel would probably be more of a series of epic superhero stories (that’s Snyder’s M.O. on Batman anyway), Adventures of Superman would capture the pulp sensibility of the original Superman stories. And who better to bring that to us than the team who brings us Daredevil and Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom? Waid has written so little Superman it’s a crime, and Samnee is his soulmate lately. This team could rocket a title like Adventures of Superman to the top, creatively and saleswise.
Superman by Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Stegman. Another team typically associated with Marvel, I think Hickman can bring the same sensibility to Superman that he brought to Fantastic Four. His storytelling techniques would be perfect to bring in the New Gods, S.T.A.R. Labs, and all of Superman’s science-based villainy, and his long-form stories would leave fans feeling easy that we’d have the same creative team for a while (as opposed to being on the fourth in less than a year like we are now). Plus, I’ve been dying to see Ryan Stegman draw Superman. I think his style compliments Greg Capullo’s Batman style so perfectly that we’d just HAVE to see a crossover. Also…Scott Snyder and Jonathan Hickman doing a Batman/Superman crossover? Salivating just thinking about it, aren’t you?
Who would be your ideal Superman creative teams?