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DC Comics premiered its new "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" quarterly comic the first week of June 1995, and to celebrate that this issue of the newsletter featured an interview with Roger Stern, the writer of that comic. "Man of Tomorrow" was published through 1999, when it was cancelled due to the fact that DC now does special "events" four weeks a year, replacing its regular publications and thus making "MoT" unnecessary.
L&C KRYPTON
CLUB**********DAY 15*************JUNE 5, 1995
*****SUPERMAN92 AND CRAIG BYRNE, PRESIDENTS****
"DON'T FALL FOR ME, FARM BOY."
WELCOME!
Welcome to new members Lorna Muirhead and BobaFettIV! Welcome to
the Krypton Club! Every time when you get a piece of e-mail with
a L&C quote as the heading, that's your indication that the
Krypton Club newsletter is there! All of you are welcome to
participate; the Krypton Club newsletter is COMPLETELY
INTERACTIVE! And, every once in a while, you'll find an interview
with someone important to Super-happenings. Last week we were
fortunate enough to do an interview with the man who revamped the
Superman character in 1986, John Byrne. This week we have been
lucky enough to interview the writer of the new comic SUPERMAN:
THE MAN OF TOMORROW and the book "The Death and Life of
Superman," Roger Stern! You may want to save this to a disk;
it's a long one today!
ROGER STERN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW by Craig Byrne
Roger Stern has been an important part of the comic book industry
for nearly 20 years. His early days as a comics writer were spent
at Marvel Comics, where he wrote the comics AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
and THE AVENGERS for many years. Many may agree that his best
work, however, was on the Superman comics he has done.
Roger Stern began writing Superman comics in 1988, with ACTION
COMICS #600. From there he wrote the book until issue #700 (July
1994). He was there when Clark revealed his true identity to Lois
Lane. He was there for Superman's battle with Doomsday. He was
there for Superman's funeral. And, most importantly, he was there
for Superman's return. In between writing all of those issues of
ACTION COMICS, Roger Stern co-created the 1980's
"Starman" character for DC Comics, and he wrote the
book "The Death and Life of Superman." (a great book
for anyone who's interested in the Superman character--it's very
descriptive and it reads like a movie). In 1994, he took a
much-deserved break, before returning to comics by writing the
new quarterly Superman title, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW. He
also wrote the 1995 SUPERMAN ANNUAL and will be writing the
upcoming Justice League story in the SUPERMAN/BATMAN MAGAZINE.
Mr. Stern was nice enough to do an interview for the Krypton Club
newsletter. He was asked several questions, which he was kind
enough to respond to. =^)
CB: Who is your favorite Superman-related character?
RS: Asking me to pick my favorite Superman-related character is a
little like asking parents to pick their favorite children. Lois
and Lex and Jimmy and Ma and Pa and Inspector Henderson are
faves. (I assume that you mean characters besides Clark himself.)
And, of course, there's Bibbo...'ey, isn't he ever'body's
fav'rit?!
CB: Did you enjoy writing the novelization of "The Death and
Life of Superman?" Approximately how many copies did it
sell?
RS: Did I enjoy writing the novel? Well, yes...moreso once it was
done, though. I had an imposible deadline, and there are two
months which are a blur to me now. The hardcover sold well over
200,000 copies...I don't yet know the sales on the paperback.
CB: Was it a goal for you to do ACTION COMICS for 100 issues?
RS: I never set out to write 100 issues of ACTION...and I don't
think I actually did. There were at least three issues written by
people other than myself...and I wrote but only two pages an
issue during most of the book's weekly run.
CB: What did you think initially when the plan was made to kill
Superman?
RS: What did I think about killing Superman initially? I thought,
"We better not screw this up!"
CB: Have you ever been tempted to work with the character
"The Eradicator" (from "Reign of the
Supermen") ever again?
RS: I really have no feeling for the Eradicator. I wanted him to
die at the end of "Reign of the Superman" -- and, in
fact, the original Kryptonian Eradicator did die then -- but an
"Eradicator" of some sort had already been promised to
the Outsiders office, so I cobbled together the David Connor
character. I;ve been asked to write Eradicator stories -- both
for SHOWCASE '95 and for a miniseries -- but I just have no
interest in him.
CB: Do you watch "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of
Superman?"
RS: I watch "Lois & Clark" occasionally, but not
often. I'm a big Simpsons fan.
CB: What do you think of it?
RS: As far as television goes, it's not a bad show. The cast is
good...the writing could always be better. And, of course, it's
hard to employ great special effects on a TV budget....also, the
action sequences could be faster paced.
CB: Besides Superman, do you have a "dream project" in
comics? Anything really cool coming up?
RS: Yes, I have a number of characters I've created for which I'd
like to find a publisher -- a publisher who'd let me keep
ownership -- but that will probably have to wait until the market
improves.
CB: What is the best part of working on comics, and, more
specifically, the Superman character?
RS: The best part about working on Superman is that you tell
people what you do, they know what you're talking about.
CB: Do you think Superman should have long hair, like in the
comics, or short hair, like in the TV show?
RS: I think Superman should have whatever length of hair he
wants.
CB: Is the owner of the "Daily Planet," Franklin W.
Stern, named after you, or is it just a coincidence that he has
the same last name?
RS: Yes, Franklin Stern was named for me...by the rest of the
super-teamsters. I worry that it's too obvious a self-reference.
CB: Did you request that Tom Grummett drew MAN OF TOMORROW, or
did things just happen to go that way?
RS: I'd hoped that I'd get a chance to work with Tom Grummett
again, and I lucked out.
CB: What can we look forward to in upcoming issues of SUPERMAN:
THE MAN OF TOMORROW?
RS: In upcoming issues of MAN OF TOMORROW...the Alpha Centurion,
more of the Contessa, more revelations about Lex Luthor, some
very nasty demonic types, a Big Red Cheese, and lots of
explosions!
CB: Do you have anything in particular you'd like to say to your
fans?
RS: I'd just like to say that it's an honor to work on Superman.
I feel that it's an opportunity for me to take some small part of
the enjoyment that I got from the character and pass it on to
another generation of readers. I hope you all enjoy my efforts.
And there you have it. Be sure to pick up SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF
TOMORROW, $1.95 from DC Comics! It should still be on your local
newsstand, unless it's already sold out!
L&C POLL #2 RESULTS (SO FAR)
This week, we're having a poll as to which character from the
Superman comics you'd like to see on "L&C." The
final results will be printed in next Sunday's newsletter; you
have until Saturday to respond. Here are the results so far:
Bibbo: 3 Kenny Braverman/Conduit: 1
Brainiac: 2 Steve Lombard: 1
Krypto the Super-Dog: 2 The Contessa: 1
Lana Lang: 2 Doomsday: 2
Alice (Perry's wife): 1 Guardian & Newsboy Legion: 1
Bloodsport: 1 Maxima: 1
Send in your responses!
L&C SIGHTINGS
KB4UMASS informs us that Teri Hatcher is in a new Bally's
commercial with a bunch of pigs. Yes, pigs.
LOIS95 informs us that Justin Whalin will be on HBO in
"Serial Mom" this Wednesday (6/7) at 11:30PM and next
Saturday (6/11) at 11:15 PM. See him get caught red-handed (and
red in the face <G>)!
REEVE UPDATE
Charlottesville, Va (Reuter) - ``Superman'' actor Christopher
Reeve underwent more than six hours of delicate surgery to
stabilize his injured neck Monday and emerged from the operating
room able to hold his head straight, doctors said.
Reeve, who was paralyzed after breaking his neck at an equestrian
event, underwent 61/2 hours of surgery in which doctors fused the
top vertabrae of his spine to the base of his skull.
``Everything went well,'' neurosurgeon Dr. John Jane told
reporters following the surgery. ``He indicated pleasure (by
smiling) when I told him this would enable us to move his head
up.''
The surgery was intended to allow Reeve to hold his head upright
and give him more mobility. It will also allow his hospital bed
to be elevated to a 30-degree angle, Jane said.
Jane said no additional surgery was planned.
Doctors also revealed that Reeve has been able to slightly nod
and shake his head since his horseback riding accident nine days
ago.
The actor indicated Monday afternoon that he was eager to begin
what is likely to be months of intense rehabilitation, Jane said.
``He's a wonderful patient,'' Jane said.
Reeve, 42, remained on a ventilater and doctors said it may be
several weeks before they are able to determine his prognosis for
recovery.
Jane said Reeve, best known for starring as ``Superman'' in four
films starting in 1978, was in ``excellent'' spirits. He said the
actor's spinal cord had not been severed in the accident.
Earlier Monday, Jane told NBC's ``Today Show'' that Reeve might
regain at least some movement in his upper body, but added ``it's
really premature to speculate about it.''
During the surgery, doctors used 11 slender wires made of
titanium and bone removed from Reeve's hip to fuse the vertabrae
and halt any movement of bones against his damaged spinal cord.
``The procedure will have no effect on the rapidity of his
recovery,'' Jane said.
Reeve was injured during the Memorial Day weekend when he
participated in a riding event in nearby Culpeper, VA.
He most recently starred as a paralyzed detective confined to a
wheelchair after a bullet pierced his spinal cord in the HBO
cable television movie ``Above Suspicion'', which aired May 21.
Reuter/Variety ^REUTER@ Transmitted: 95-06-05 17:15:21 EDT
TODAY'S L&C TOP TEN LIST by Superman74
In going with the new poll: "Which character from the
Superman comics would you like to see on 'L&C,'"
Superman74 went so far as to make a top ten list out of it. So,
without further ado, the Top Ten Characters Superman74 Would Like
To See On L&C:
#10. Lana Lang--"I was Clark's first....uh girlfriend, he
was super"
#9. Maxima--Imagine this Alien woman comes down and wants
Superman/Clark
to father her children, Lois would be delightfuly jealous
#8. Bloodsport (that could make a real emotional show)
#7. Alice, Perry's wife
#6. Whoever marries Lois and Clark
#5. Doomsday (imagine that as a season finale)
#4. The Guardian and the Newsboy Legion
#3. Brainiac
#2. Bibbo "he's my favorite"
And the #1 Character Superman74 Would Like To See On L&C:
Krypto, yes the superpup from old not the normal new version
=====KRYPTON CLUB PROFILE: JOHN DOBSON=====
Real Name: John Dobson
Resides: Toronto, Ontario (north of the 49th, eh!)
Birthdate: end of WW2 (not to be confused with WWW3)
Occupation: working for a "great metropolitan
newspaper"
Hobbies: single malts, detective fiction 1890-1960 (1st
editions),
UKIYO-E = Japanese wood-block colour prints
Fav. Episodes: Neverending Battle, GGGOH, Pheremone, My Lovely,
Honeymoon in Metropolis, Witness, Fly Hard, The Phoenix, Lucky
Leon, WWW, the time my wife and I...oops, can't mention that one!
Fav. Quotes: "You don't have dates, you have
interviews" (pilot)
"Ma'am, are you on some kind of medication" (ROTP)
"I don't do coffee, not in the job description. Read the
manual gramps" (Foundling)
"Look what the cat dragged in" (Strange Visitor)
Send your profiles our way, and you'll see them in here soon!
We've gotten a lot of them lately, so don't be upset if they're
not in immediately! Thanks!
TODAY'S TRIVIA
Here is the question for today.....
When is Teri Hatcher's birthday?
The answer to yesterday's easy trivia question: Clark's middle
name is Jerome. A lot of you got this right, including BREARLEY,
FLEISCH, LOISLAN807, RMNCRDR,UNICORN772, SOUNDSQUAW, CKLOIS5,
LOIS95, SUPERMAN74, JBECKY, MEREDITH66, KB4UMASS, ANGIE AAAA,
LISA FREEDMAN, SARAHROSEL, AVIAGEL4LC, SMILEY372,.MARK SAFRANSKY,
KATH12121, MAXMOUZE, LORI GORSCH, DICK SIDBURY, and PJLJT. C.K.
knew he was in trouble when Ma Kent used all three names!
The middle name "Jerome" probably came from the first
name of Jerome "Jerry" Siegel, one of the creators of
Superman.
Send your answers and trivia guesses via e-mail. Even if you
don't know it, it's worth a try!
We Gotta Fly! See you on THURSDAY!
Craig and 92