Broken Frontier

DC Editor in Chief Dan DiDio opened the panel with a welcome and introduced fellow panelists VP of Sales Bob Wayne, Coordinating Editor Jann Jones, and writers Sean McKeever, and Jim Starlin. As Starlin was wearing a T-Shirt that read "Darkseid Rules," there were many jokes made about killing off DC characters, Jimmy Olsen, and Starlin’s upcoming mini-series Death of the New Gods.

DiDio spoke about how they had just returned from the San Diego ComicCon but how San Diego has become a multi-media event while Wizard World Chicago is still all about the comic books. A Countdown image appeared and DiDio talked about how they are looking forward to Final Crisis, which will be written by Grant Morrison with art by JG Jones.

DiDio next asked the audience how they had liked the weekly comic book experience so far. This was met with great approval from the audience and DiDio stated that fans could expect another weekly series to follow next year.

Next DiDio asked who liked the Jimmy Olsen storyline in Countdown. While there was quite a bit of applause, one fan booed and so DiDio asked him to stand and explain why he didn’t like the story. When the fan replied that he didn’t like the character and found the story boring, DiDio asked if there was anyone who would like to provide counterpoint. When no one immediately volunteered Starlin said "That’s why Jimmy Olsen must die." At this point, however, another fan stood up and explained that he liked the Olsen storyline because Jimmy represented comic books fans and wish fulfillment.

DiDio then asked who liked the Mary Marvel story and asked whether the fans thought DC would be able to keep Mary Marvel bad. Common consensus seemed to be that Mary should not stay dark but when DiDio asked why not one cheeky audience member shouted that DC needed to have one good female character.

Next was a question asking who was enjoying the Trickster and Pied Piper story arc in Countdown. DiDio then hinted that this villainous duo might not see the end of the series.

Finally, DiDio asked who was enjoying the Challengers from Beyond storyline. A number of fans expressed some confusion over whom exactly these characters were but once it was explained that this was Donna Troy’s team there was an indication of general approval. Many fans expressed a liking for Bob the Monitor. DiDio confirmed that a fourth member would be joining the team in the near future and that the character would be Kyle Rayner. DiDio advised that Kyle’s story would play out first in Green Lantern, then in The All-New Atom, and finally in Countdown.

Not yet finished with Countdown – DiDio asked if everyone was enjoying the Multiverse. He then announced that there would be a new mini-series: Countdown: Arena. This was accompanied by a slide showing Earth-2 Superman with Monarch. DiDio explained that Countdown: Arena would pit three versions of the same character from three different Earths against one another to be leaders in Monarch’s army. Fans will then be allowed to vote on who the winners should be.

Finishing up the formal presentation, DiDio mentioned Salvation Run – the villain-centric mini-series that was first announced at San Diego – as well as Jim Starlin’s 8 part mini-series Death of the New Gods. With the presentation over, DiDio opened the floor to questions.

To the question regarding the new writer on Robin, DiDio said they can’t announce that yet but there will be a writer.

The next fan wanted to know why DC was gearing up for another crisis so soon after the last one. DiDio responded that he saw this all as a three act story – that it began with Identity Crisis, which was a personal, JLA story, and then went to Infinite Crisis, which was a return to DC’s history of grand, sweeping, cosmic stories, and that Final Crisis would wrap everything up with a big bow.

The next fan asked for a straight answer (which got quite a bit of laughter from both the panel and the audience) on why they chose to kill off Vic Sage as the Question. DiDio responded that it was a good question and said that while people always have their favorite characters, in the end, they just did not feel a Vic Sage book would sell. DiDio also explained that they were not looking at the Montoya Question to be an ongoing book but rather a character that would add some diversity and provide an interesting slant to the DCU.

The question of the Superboy lawsuit came up when one fan reported hearing rumors that the matter had been settled. DiDio referred to the character as "he who will not be named" but VP of Sales Bob Wayne informed the fans that when DC felt comfortable saying something they would.

There were a number of questions regarding the Flash with one fan asking if the death of Bart Allen was always planned. DiDio responded that yes, the plan was for Wally to return and Bart to die at some point. In contrast to that, another fan asked if the people responsible for bringing back the "wrong Flash" would be fired. DiDio responded that there was no "wrong Flash."

A fan expressed a feeling of "battle fatigue" from having to buy all of the mini-series and specials. DiDio said that fans do not have to buy anything but that DC was trying to build a stronger, more cohesive universe where all the stories have meaning. He went on to say that if fans felt compelled to buy the books it should be because they want to read the stories, not because they feel the need to fill in gaps.

The next fan wanted to know that, if Black Canary is getting married and is she pregnant? Jann Jones declared that Black Canary is not pregnant and that she herself has been working on the Wedding Planner special.

One fan wanted to know if Vertigo is part of the Multiverse. DiDio responded that it still is not and the fan indicated disappointment that characters like Swamp Thing and the Endless remain outside the regular DCU. DiDio recommended a letter writing campaign to the Vertigo executive editor.

One question dealt with the potential for alienating readers when a writer’s politics or personal opinions spill into a book. Bob Wayne responded that it depended on how individuals interpreted the stories and how much fans know about the writers. The internet age has allowed people to know more about writers than they have in the past and this allows fans to suspect when a writer’s opinions enter a story. DiDio added that DC’s first duty is to tell a good story and that is the ultimate deciding factor.

Another fan wanted to know if the All-Star line was part of the Multiverse as well as where they see the line going. DiDio responded that they have long-term plans for the All-Star line. The Superman story is headed for a conclusion but there may be more All-Star Superman to follow. They have 8 issues in hand for All-Star Wonder Woman and they plan to continue with All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder as well. The All-Star line, however, is not a part of the multiverse. Other questions regarding the All-Star line revealed that All-Star Batgirl is on hold for now and there are no plans for an All-Star Flash at this time.

Since DiDio had earlier stated that their goal had been to make the DCU more cohesive for readers one fan asked if bringing back the Multiverse made thing less cohesive and more difficult for new readers. DiDio responded that they would be introducing the new Multiverse slowly and that they would be teaching the fans as they went along. DiDio asked Bob Wayne to tell the audience about the Jokester. Wayne responded that the Jokester was the Joker on Earth-3… and that the character would be "Somebody’s father".

The next fan asked the panel if they considered who they hired and how those people worked in terms of getting the books out on time. DiDio admitted that the problems in the past of late books really did hurt them. He confessed that momentum and sales were lost over the issue and they have attacked the problem and that hopefully fans have noticed an improvement in that area.

With the Multiverse back one fan asked who would be allowed to travel between Earths and how easy it would be. DiDio responded that they have had meeting and have worked out the limited number of ways to move between worlds as well as which characters will be allowed to do

On the question of if there would be more Mystery in Space from Jim Starlin, that writer joked that they were thinking of giving Tyrone his own series.

When one fan asked why Green Arrow and Black Canary are getting married but Nightwing and Oracle did not DiDio responded that he did not see Oracle and Nightwing being married. This elicited a number of boos from the crowd.

To the question of if all of the 52 Earths are mapped out DiDio responded that more than half of them are and, for example, Earth 26 would be the Captain Carrot universe.

To the question of if there are any plans for the character Terra the response came back that her mini-series is scheduled for March.

When asked why the Secret Six were disbanded, DiDio initially said "it’s a secret" but then responded that if had to do with the upcoming Suicide Squad series as well as the Salvation Run title.

One fan asked about the previously solicited but then recalled new Doctor Fate series and DiDio confirmed that it will be out under the title Countdown to Mystery and would feature Eclipso backup stories.

Another fan wanted to know if the Paul Levitz version of the Legion of Superheroes would be coming back. Bob Wayne indicated the fan should look at the Showcase Presents: The Great Disaster trade as well as an upcoming issue of Supergirl featuring Karate Kid for clues.

One fan wanted to know about the fate of Manhunter and DiDio responded that the writer Marc Andreyko had a busy schedule at the moment and they were waiting for him to have some free time. Sean McKeever jumped in, though, and said she would be appearing in Birds of Prey.

Finally, one fan started to ask about the Legion of Superheroes apparently taking Barry Allen into the future at the end of the recent "Lightning Saga" that ran through the Justice League and Justice Society of America titles. The questioner did not finish the question, however, when DiDio apparently unwittingly corrected the man by saying Bart was the Flash taken into the future. As DiDio, shamefacedly stepped back from the podium, the crowd roared.