Comics Superman Confidential announced!

[Binker]

From Wizard Universe

EXCLUSIVE: DC: UNVEILING ‘BATMAN,’ ‘SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL’
A-list teams tackle the formative phases of DC’s premier heroes
By Brian Warmoth

Posted June 2, 2006 10:15 AM

Pivoting off of Infinite Crisis, DC is turning two dynamic duos of its own back toward the early years of Superman and Batman in September’s Batman Confidential and Superman Confidential. With the dust of the Multiverse settled, DC wants to clear the record and re-familiarize fans with their universe’s most famous capes.

“What it allows us to do is in short story arcs re-establish key moments in those character’s lives and expand on things we think are more vital to help develop the characters,” explained DC Senior VP-Executive Editor Dan DiDio, “to tell good stories of the past with these characters that we feel once you start reading these you’ll have a better understanding of what they are.”

Andy Diggle will be writing the Dark Knight’s first arc with art by Whilce Portacio.

“That story will really touch upon the return of Bruce Wayne,” said DiDio, “from his travels before he first puts on the bat suit and his reclaiming of Waynehood.”

Superman’s story will be introduced through Tim Sale and writer Darwyn Cooke.

“Just from Superman for All Seasons we know that Tim [Sale] can draw the beejeezus out of Superman,” states DiDio. “And Darwyn’s probably one of the best storytellers out there.” The story will feature an early meeting with Lex Luthor and the Man of Steel, along with another Super-icon.

“They’re actually telling Superman’s first encounter with kryptonite,” DiDio revealed.

The books will be ongoing anthologies and focus on character defining moments rendered by top-notch talent. “These are all stories that will fit into the lore and continuity of the characters,” said DiDio, “and more importantly we’ll make sure we keep the A-team on this book at all times.”

 

[Superman \S/]

Cool.

 

[Binker]

Artwork colored by Mark Chiarello

As we already reported, DC will be kicking off two new series in November, focusing on the early days of their most popular heroes. While Batman Confidential will focus on the early days of the Dark Knight, Superman Confidential will examine the earlier days of the Man of Steel through the eyes of rotating creative teams.

First up on the series – a six issue arc written by Darwyn Cooke and illustrated by Tim Sale. We caught up with the artist for more on the arc.

To begin with, when asked, Sale explained that getting on the book was easy enough. “I was approached by Dan DiDio. Jeph [Loeb] had recently signed with Marvel, and I had still obligations under my exclusive contract with DC that needed honoring, and Dan had come up with the idea of the Superman and Batman Confidential titles. He knew of my admiration for Darwyn's work, and that I had expressed to Mark Chiarello that I would love to someday work with Darwyn, and once Dan said that Darwyn would be writing, I was in.”

Following along with Didio’s vision for the Confidential titles, like the story in Batman Confidential’s first arc, the series tells of key moments in Superman’s history, in this case, the first time he ran into that little souvenir from home – Kryptonite.

“Darwyn had dug up the first kryptonite story from 1949 by Bill Finger and Al Plastino and we took that as our jumping off point,” Sale explained. “Our version is very different in both style and plot, but there are structural things in the tale that are similar. It's really Darwyn's baby, we didn't discuss much, only things like what I think is fun to draw, and Darwyn's instincts along those lines are really good.

“Our story is set when Superman is young and just discovering the extent of his powers. It is also very early in his relationship with Lois.”

In order to show that Superman Confidential’s Superman isn’t the modern-day version, but rather a slightly greener version of the hero, Sale said that he went back to the approach he took with Superman For All Seasons.

“The art style I'm using is different, but the innocence that my Superman has is the same,” the artist said. “There is more variety in his expressions perhaps, in this version than the one I drew in For All Seasons.”

The fact that this story’s look doesn’t quite match that in For All Seasons was a deliberate choice Sale made, he explained. “I wanted very much to have a different look than For All Seasons, both because I want that look to be special for the stories I do with Jeph, and because I felt this story deserved its own look. I do think I have matured as an artist since then also, and there will be some difference from that, too.”

One of the aspects of the art Sale gives a good deal of thought to is one of the larger challenges of Superman – drawing Clark and Superman as the same person, but at the same time, in a manner so that it’s believable that people in Superman’s world just might not catch on that the mild mannered reporter is also the world’s greatest hero.

“For me, it's largely in the hair and clothes,” Sale said. “Body language, too, but I don't draw Clark sort of stooped the way they do in the movies, he's still a big guy. It's one of those comic book cheats that I just bypass, that Clark combs his hair and puts on glasses and a suit, and suddenly he's unrecognizable. He's as big as a house, and no one suspects, he's just a farm kid.”

In regards to working with Cooke, Sale said that the process has been an easy once, given that they share the same approach. “It's great, and we very much see Superman in the same way. The sense of what makes these people tick, and what's fun about them, is in large part what I liked about Darwyn's New Frontier.

Although - Sale said that there was a slight learning curve as their styles meshed and adapted – particularly when it came to Superman’s villains. “Darwyn is fond of some of the more cartoony aspects of the villains in Superman's gallery, and I'm not so much, and so getting my swerve on when it came to them was challenging, but there is so much in Darwyn's writing that I just couldn't wait to get to draw, that it was fun.

“Also, there’s a scene at a volcano in issue two, intercut with a scene of Lois, that I felt I just nailed. It was really fun to contrast the styles and emotions.”

Finally, the artist did give one final hint of something to keep an eye out for in the story: “Darwyn does plant the seed of a character motivation in issue two that I think is brilliant, and long overdue. One of those things that seems so obvious once it's done that you can't believe it's never been done before.”

 

[Binker]

Larger version:

 

[newmexneon]

It's nice to hear that we will have another Superman book coming out. I was dissapointed when they announced the cancellation of Adventure's so this makes me real happy.

 

[warren_sparta27]

really really like sale's artwork

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Yeah, This should be interesting.

 

[nite-owl]

I am getting this for Cooke and Sale alone and of course its Superman.