Geoff Johns on DCU #0 & the future of the DCU:
I really think #0’s going to have a strong tone and set the stage for where we’re going to take the DC Universe. For me, #0 is the next phase, and a really damn good one.
We worked really hard to design it as an entry point to the DC Universe for anybody. Even though we’ve got complexities and histories and tons of characters, DC Universe #0 is really an entry point for everybody. We’re trying to make it a place for current readers and older readers who maybe haven’t read comics in a while or readers new to the DC Universe – the book is designed as a springboard for all of this coming stuff. It gives a sense of where the characters are going, who they are, and what their journeys are going to be. And it’s drawn by some of the best guys in the business.
For me, #0 is putting the stake in the ground and saying, “Okay, we move forward from here.”
And I have to add that it’s really great to be back in the thick of it like this. Grant and I have been out of the center of it all for a while, and it’s really exciting to get back into the center. 52 was unconnected to other things, and after that, we took a year off from that kind of stuff, have done our own books, but now it’s all about getting back into the mix – into the center of it all again.
We’ve talked about Superman a lot, and the goal with Superman in 2008 is to take what we did with Green Lantern in 2007 to Superman. That’s the goal.
Between Green Lantern, Justice Society of America, Action Comics and the other books I’ve got brewing for ’08 and ’09…and working with Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kolins, Ethan Van Sciver and another legend around the corner…I’m psyched to continue working for the company that made me fall in love with comics.
I believe in DC Comics. I believe in the characters and have since I first discovered this wonderful universe. I believe in where we’re going and what we’re fighting for. You know, we can’t take our readers for granted. We screw up, we lose. We gotta learn from our mistakes and the mistakes others make. We gotta fight hard to create better books every month that are worth your time. We love a good challenge so we’re happy to do that. It keeps us honest.
I just got some pages in for a big project that’s coming up towards the end of ’08 that are just stunning. It comes down to being very content and satisfied, and striving to up my game further and make my comics better while working with the best artists in the business. I am constantly trying to see how I can improve. I’m trying new things like the trailer at the end of Green Lantern. I want to experiment with the fun of a monthly book beyond the 22-pages we’re given.
On Superman and the Legion:
I believe that Superman’s connection with the Legion makes both concepts stronger, which is why I’m doing the story in Action right now. Clark Kent didn’t have a group of friends when he was growing up in Smallville. Sure there was Lana, but he didn’t have a group of friends where he felt like he was one of them. He had great parents and wonderful people he knew, it was tough for him. But when the Legion showed up, and he went to the future with them as a kid…a lot of them were aliens who looked human that came to earth. Suddenly, Clark was just “one of the kids” after being so different. I think that helped him relate to other heroes.
Even though people really look up to him, he sees himself as part of the community. His experience with the Legion – being a member of a group of heroes – helped teach him a lot of that. And on the flipside, the Legion was built off of what Superman did – this alien who came to Earth, and the Earth giving something to him, and him wanting to give back to the Earth. It’s the same kind of thing – the Legion is stronger for having interacted with him. They helped to make Superman who he is, and as a result, they’re stronger.
On the Future:
Right now, I see myself staying on those books…I can’t say exactly for how long, but it will be at least through ’08, and probably into ’09. With Action Comics we have Brainiac this year to start. In Justice Society of America we have the conclusion to “Thy Kingdom Come” – the team’s about to go through some rough growing pains. You’ll see the “society” splintered by Gog, an attack on the Rock of Eternity gone horribly wrong and you’ll meet the Justice Society Infinity mid-year.
I’ll be moving on from Booster Gold after #11 (which is twelve issues including zero), to make way for two mini-series for this year – one being The Flash: Rogues Revenge with Scott Kolins. The other to be announced soon, but it’s the hardest thing I’ve had to tackle in my career – which means working on it is a joy while I drive myself to the edge of sanity
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