War of the Supermen Just Announced!

[Admiral_Young]

I think it's an Oliver Copiel (is that his name) cover. It's mentioned who drew it on the blog.

[ClayinCA]

Admiral_Young wrote:

---

Uh Geoff will be returning to Action Comics once Blackest Night is completed.

No, he won't - his time on the Superman books is done, unfortunately (he's said that in a number of interviews). Post-Blackest Night, he'll be continuing to write Green Lantern, he'll be writing both Flash features in the new Flash book, he'll be doing this new Earth One thing, and the so-far-unconfirmed rumours are that he'll be writing a Justice League book as well. No Superman.

Also, just announced today, Marc Guggenheim will be the new writer on Action Comics.

[Allyn Gibson]

gastrof wrote:

---

Looking at the cover, I can't help but wonder who the guy to the left of Superman's right knee is.

Hmmm...

Seems to be a bat symbol on his chest, the outline looks almost like the Superman shield, and the costume colors are red and blue. Chris Kent with a change to his Knightwing costume, making a connection with his adopted father?

Yep, and

Flamebird is above Supergirl. The one unfortunate thing about Nightwing being right there is that now we know that Chris Kent gets "de-aged," since he just aged to about eighty in the most recent issue of Action Comics.

[ClayinCA]

Allyn Gibson wrote:

---

The one unfortunate thing about Nightwing being right there is that now we know that Chris Kent gets "de-aged," since he just aged to about eighty in the most recent issue of Action Comics.

Well, actually...at the end of Action Comics 884 (out this week),

he does in fact get de-aged.

So not much of a spoiler, really.

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah I just read the article about the Guggenheim announcement...I must've been confused or something about Johns returning to Action Comics after Blackest Night and meant Green Lantern. I have read the Justice League thing though.

[ClayinCA]

I think that at one point (maybe right when he left Action), there might have been talk that Johns would return to the title - I do seem to remember hearing that somewhere as well, so that may be what you're thinking of. Personally, I wish it was true, though having Johns back on Flash instead is fine by me also.

[Mr Light]

I distinctly remember reading an article that said while Johns was leaving Supes after "New Krypton" he would be coming back for the big event. I thought this entire story was his idea, so I'm pretty shocked that he won't be involved in the crossover. And disappointed.

[AviTrek]

He was leaving for something big. That something turned into Superman Secret Origins.

[Broccoli]

And his work on Batman: Earth One is probably pretty time consuming.

[drychlick]

2010 is going to be a big year for are hero cool!

[barnaclelapse]

I'm holding my breath for 2013. That's when the real badass stuff is goin' down.

[Allyn Gibson]

barnaclelapse wrote:

---

I'm holding my breath for 2013. That's when the real badass stuff is goin' down.

2013. That's when Superman starts falling into the public domain, isn't it? Or is that when the Siegel and Schuster estates start getting a piece of Superman to do with what they will?

It doesn't really matter, though. DC's trademark protections on Superman will effectively prevent anyone else from using Superman, public domain or no.

[barnaclelapse]

I was being sarcastic. I have no bloody clue.

Superman in the public domain would be some scary, scary shit.

[Allyn Gibson]

barnaclelapse wrote:

---

Superman in the public domain would be some scary, scary shit.

No, it really isn't.

So long as DC continues to exploit the Superman trademark, even after the early stories begin to fall out of copyright, they're effectively preventing anyone else from using Superman. There's little point in using Superman, if you can't market that it's Superman.

In any case, I expect there will be another attempt in the next year or two to extend copyright protections for another twenty-five years or more at the behest of Disney.

[Admiral_Young]

I remember reading an interview from Geoff earlier this year on newsarama I think saying that the plan was that he would finish up Blackest Night and would then go back to Action Comics just in time for the big Superman event that he has been working towards (I guess this is now War of the Supermen) and then he would be returning to Green Lantern. The Flash thing wasn't announced at the time.