DC Comics The New 52 marks the one year anniversary of the relaunch with a new creative team on the publisher’s most iconic hero. DC Comics revealed that Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort (Red Hood & The Outlaws) take over Superman with issue zero this September. Lobdell shared this excitement for his upcoming run.
“Like every other writer in the world who has ever heard of SUPERMAN, I’ve spent a good part of my life wishing for the opportunity to write the ongoing adventures of the Man of Steel!
“Grant Morrison has left me a lot of new bright and shiny new toys on the table through ACTION COMICS — and you better believe I’m going to take every one of the around the block for a ride! Thank you, Grant, for the this brave new world, and thank you DC for trusting me with the super hero who started it all.
“I wrote a proposal for the series and I remember more than once thinking ‘No way they’ll let me do this — not in a million years!’ But then I’d look up at the Post-It® over my computer that says ‘Scott, Go Bold Or Go Home!’ and I just kept writing! For weeks after I turned it in I kept waiting for the phone call that said ‘Uh, yeah. Interesting. But never in a million years, Lobdell!’ Instead I got a text that said simply said ‘Congratulations.’
“So strap yourselves in, people, because we’re going up up upper and awayer than we’ve ever gone before!
“Yes, I am acutely aware that I have some very big shoes to fill. From Jerry and Joe right on through George and Dan and Kieth and all the other writers and artists over the run of the series. Not too nerve-wracking, right?!
“And, of course, I probably would not have made the leap to the world’s most recognizable hero if I didn’t do it with Kenneth Rocafort at my side. Anyone who has been following his artwork on RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS knows he has an imagination unlike many others! He can handle the heavy lifting that comes with world building on one page, and pull a tear out of you through an intense emotional moment on the next.”
After seeing how Rocafort portrayed Starfire I look forward to seeing how he draws Lois Lane!
Enterprise command chair used on Star Trek, 1966-1969 Photo: Erik Skaar
As I descended down into a new exhibition underneath Seattle’s EMP Museum I was giddy with geek anticipation. Icons of Science Fiction features some of the most inspiring artifacts of the sci-fi genre. I felt like Neo. I was a “Chosen One” receiving a sneak peek and chance to meld with the mind who created this new exhibition.
You pass the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. I had to find the glass bearing the photo and name of Ray Bradbury to pay homage. Then prepare to be transported. The curator has designed an entry way that reminds you of an iconic experience in a sci-fi adventure. If you’re a Star Wars fans it would be going to light speed…if the hyper-drive is fixed! If you’re a Star Trek fan you’re going to warp. For the 2001: A Space Odyssey fans it’s going on a trip into void with Dave!
Icons of Science Fiction at EMP Museum, photo by ComicsBlend.com
Fans can marvel at artifacts that have never been shown publicly like Lt. Uhura’s uniform from Star Trek, Yoda’s walking cane from Star Wars, the Kryptonian spaceship from Superman starring Christopher Reeve. You can even see the Captain’s chair James T. Kirk sat in while commanding the Enterprise!
What If? This eternal question drives the exploration of ideas behind the genre’s greatest creations. Curator Brooks Peck explains why he built the exhibition based on questions as opposed to by chronological order or sub categories.
“One of the things science fiction does is ask these crazy strange questions. Any science fiction story can be framed as a question. Star Trek is framed as what if we could explore space and the stars. What would happen? What stories would come out of that? Or Men In Black – what if aliens came to this planet? Or Terminator – what if robots took over the world? So the exhibition asks six of these big questions and presents lots of stories, films, tv shows, novels, comics that answers those in different ways. So if you’re not like a hard-core science fiction person…you see the questions and it gets your thinking. Questions like what if we could design our children? It gets you thinking about it and I hope makes it accessible to everybody – science fiction fans and non fans alike.
Neo's coat worn by Keanu Reeves from The Matrix Reloaded, 2003 Photo: Brady Harvey
What If You Were the Chosen One? This section highlights the idea of the savior who inspires change. Paul Muad’Dib was the prophesied messiah of Frank Herbert’s Dune series. You can see the jacket worn by Neo (Keanu Reeves) of The Matrix. I was fascinated and little freaked to see the Anakin Skywalker lifecast from Star Wars: Return of The Jedi. It takes you back to that moment when Luke lifts the Vader mask so Anakin can look on his son with his own eyes. You can see a costume Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) wore on a key Battlestar Galactica episode that reinforced her role as a messiah for the human race.
Krypton spaceship filming miniature used in Superman: The Movie, 1978 Photo: Erik Skaar
What If I Had Superpowers? This section features Alan Moore’s classic Watchmen, Christopher Reeve’s costume from Superman IV and the miniature starship from his first Superman film that carried the young alien from Krypton to Smallville.
Curator Brooks Peck with a weapon from "Men in Black" at Icons of Science Fiction at EMP Museum, photo by ComicsBlend.com
What If We Fought A War With Aliens? From Will Smith’s impossibly huge gun in Men in Black, to the warrior headgear from the original Stargate film to the saucer from Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space – this section is filled with weapons and gear to make you feel “absolute bad asses” like the Colonial Marines in Aliens. In fact you can see the helmet worn by Michael Biehn in the James Cameron sequel!
T-800 skull used in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991 Photo: Brady Harvey
What If We Were Enslaved By Our Machines? Who can forget the Terminator skull once the Ar-NULD visage from burned off? A robot skull from T2: Judgement Day is part of this section. What might be THE artifact of the exhibition is the centerpiece of this section: a Dalek from Doctor Who.
“I think the Dalek is fantastic because…it’s a Dalek, right? And since Doctor Who is created in England it’s rare that objects make it make it over to the United States for us to see much less something this big and heavy and crazy like a Dalek. This Dalek in particular is special because it’s an Imperial Dalek which were the first Daleks we actually saw on camera climbing stairs and levitating,” declares Peck.
Imperial Dalek from the Doctor Who episode "Remembrance of the Daleks" in 1998 Photo: Erik Skaar
This rare artifact is from the Remembrance of the Daleks episode from 1988 and Peck adds they call it “the glam-rock Dalek.”
What If We Could Design Our Own Children? The teddy bear from the Steven Spielberg directed AI, Commander Data’s uniform Star Trek: The Next Generation, the work of local author Octavia Butler highlight this section that asks a question that may be answered in a future that’s closer that we may think.
Icons of Science Fiction at EMP Museum, photo by ComicsBlend.com
EMP Museum always deliver more than just inspiring visuals. This exhibition makes you a Ridley Scott, George Lucas or Steven Spielberg! The Create Your Own Special Effects Shot puts your friend on a green screen while you choose the fantasy backdrop and which iconic characters you want to interact with on-screen. You can fly like a superhero in the sky or run from Imperial Stormtroopers on an alien moon.
There is a space age looking control board that gives you an interactive exploration of sci-fi sources and influences on design and modern art. You can touch your way across the genres.
Brooks Peck and his team have collected from across genres and scored some amazing artifacts. I was curious to know what was the hardest artifact in the exhibit to procure?
“There was one on my wish list that I couldn’t secure so that would probably be the hardest. We have on display one of Darth Vader’s light sabres from Episodes Five and Six. We wanted to compliment that with an Anakin Skywalker light sabre from the prequel. They’re very rare to find out and about…but we found a collector in England who had one and we had a plan. One of our curators was going to England anyway and was going to bring it back. Turns out though it was a fighting sabre used to film a combat scenes so it had this long carbon fiber plate so we thought we’d just transport this little handle but actually it was this four-foot long thing that couldn’t come apart so we couldn’t bring it from England. So we wanted to show that. Maybe someday but not now.”
“Maybe someday” is what we often think after seeing a sci-fi film or reading a novel. The search the search for what’s possible, what’s in our future drives science fiction and fantasy fans. Like machine gaining sentience or an alien life form this exhibition is designed to evolve and grow. I am thrilled to be here for the birth of Icons of Science Fiction. Geek Tested…and approved for all.
Stay tuned for more posts: What does a Sci Fi Museum curator think of Prometheus, Doctor Who and why did certain comic books make the cut while others didn’t?
Grant Morrison continues to excite the Superman mythos with Action Comics. DC Comics revealed the cover to issue #11 by Rags Morales that reflects the solicitation for the story:
“Superman’s new secret identity revealed! Lois Lane continues her investigation into the mystery of Earth’s first Superman! Plus, in the backup story: We know where Superman got his armor costume, but where did he get all those “S” T-shirts?”
This months is the start the Batman family crossover Night of the Owls. I hope DC may be plotting a crossover with the Superman family of books – maybe a way to introduce some Kryptonian foes into the New 52?
Rip the suit and let your “S” show! The Man of Steel Facebook page is sporting this new logo for the Zach Snyder directed reboot of Superman. Looks like it fits with the metallic look of Henry Cavill as the Last Son of Krypton in an earlier photo.
The secret is out! Jim Lee’s cover to DC Comics The New 52 Free Comic Book Day Edition. The big three: Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman share the cover with what I assume is the mystery woman, Pandora.
Here’s your first look at the until-now top-secret cover by DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee. The legendary artist will also be illustrating five pages for the comic book’s interior, including a four-page JUSTICE LEAGUE gatefold to accompany a brand new story by New York Times bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns.
Lee also created custom art for the Free Comic Book Day t-shirt, featuring his redesign of the JUSTICE LEAGUE for DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 in an homage to a classic piece by José Luis García-López. Free Comic Book Day is May 5th.
Here’s why the Superman Hompage says today’s the day to celebrate The Man of Steel’s birthday!
“Why February 29? Editor Julie Schwartz declared that Superman’s birthday was on February 29th in a number of letter pages during the Silver Age. Supposedly this is how Superman stays looking so young, after all he only has a birthday every four years!
In 1985’s “Superman Annual #11” his birthdate is mentioned as being February 29 in an actual story. While “Time” magazine published a story in 1988 that also stated this date as being Superman’s birthday.
Oddly enough, Clark Kent celebrates his birthday on a completely different day. Clark’s celebrates his birthday on the day Jonathan and Martha Kent pulled him from the Kryptonian rocketship that landed in Smallville. This was established in “Action Comics #241″ in 1958, and was specified in “Action Comics #263” in 1973 as being celebrated on June 18th.”
Thanks to Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster for giving us a great hero. Thanks to Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve for bringing Kal-El to the big screen. Happy Birthday Superman and thanks for all the inspiration.
A teen fighting cancer asked Taylor Swift to be his date for the prom. The country superstar can’t make it but she asked Kevin McGuire to be her date for the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Take a look at this heroic profile from ABC7 in Philadelphia and let’s talk about the possible comic book connection:
You can’t help but notice the Superman blanket! I wonder if he’s a comic fan. Regardless, Kevin is a real hero and inspiration.
My friend Carol is a huge country music fan. She knows I’m a big comic book super hero fan. Sometimes you need a story like this to remind of what’s important in life. So we both wanted to share this inspiring story and wish Kevin a full recovery and great time on his date with Taylor!
The Man of Steel cast underwent scuba diving training with Below H2o Scuba Diving. Here’s a photo of the new Superman, Henry Cavill, on the Superman: The Man of Steel Facebook fan page. The only other star pictured is Russell Crowe who plays Jor-El. Maybe the scuba training is for a Kryptonian special effect?
