DC kicked off this otherwise dull Monday with a major publishing announcement, thankfully reinvigorating my life force. Starting in 2010, DC will begin a brand new continuity that begins the origins of their most iconic heroes, Superman and Batman, in a series of original graphic novels. Titled Superman: Earth One and Batman: Earth One, the superstar creative teams on the projects will consist of J. Michael Straczynski & Shane Davis, and Geoff Johns & Gary Frank, respectively.
The goal of the project is to showcase these iconic characters in their earliest moments, taking place on a brand new earth with an all new continuity via two graphic novels a year. It may seem like DC is once again retelling the origins of their classic heroes, but in an interview with Ain't It Cool News, JMS assures us that isn't the case:
"What I'm trying to do is to dig in to the character and look at him through modern eyes. If you were to create the Superman story today, for the first time, but keep intact all that works, what would it look like?" he said. JMS is a professed hardcore Superman fan, and he is tackling the character in a classic sense but from his own perspective, especially concerning Clark's younger days in Smallville.
And no, there will be no Superboy in Earth One. "We see a very real sense of isolation in him, which informs his arrival in Metropolis which represents the first time when he can choose the life he wants, rather than having to endure the life he had to endure." says JMS.
As for Shane Davis on art duties for Superman: Earth One, Stracynski says it was Davis' ability to convey emotion that made him believe the artist was right for the project. "As soon as I saw Shane's art, I knew he would be right for this, because he can not only get that degree of expressiveness, but he's also really great on action and composition."
On the other end of the spectrum, the super team (heh...get it?) of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are moving beyond the Man of Steel and trying their hand at DC's other icon, The Dark Knight. This is Johns' first outing doing a full fledged Batman title, and he couldn't be more excited. "When Dan Didio asked if Gary and I would be interested in something like this we were onboard immediately. We’re taking on Batman, and the world around him, and rebuilding it from the ground up." said Johns.
While Batman has been equally explored in terms of origin, Johns says "I want to let the book will speak for itself, but Batman, Alfred, Detective Gordon, Arkham Manor, the twisted origin behind Gotham City, the Bat-Mobile and, of course, the world’s greatest group of villains are all a part of the world we’re creating. Some of it the characters will more closely resemble the classic interpretations while others will be wildly different. We’re introducing a lot of new characters and elements to this Batman."
You know he's telling the truth, just look at Frank's rendition of Alfred below. More than a passing resemblance to Sam Elliott, no?
As for bringing in Batman's all-star rogues gallery: "If anyone knows my work they know how much I love villains.I’ve been dying to crack into the best rogues’ gallery in comics for years. Eventually, yes -- you’ll see the Joker, but the first well-known villain we’ll be focusing on early in the Batman: Earth One graphic novel series is the Riddler."
Well, I'm sold.
There has been no official date of release as of this announcement, but stay tuned to CraveOnline for all of your comic book needs!
