superman: secret origin

A few SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN links of note for Tuesday

The first issue of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank’s modern re-telling of Superman’s origin hit stores last week, and reception couldn’t be stronger. Gawker’s pop culture and sci-fi blog, IO9, had some kind words for the first issue of SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, noting that “you might just find yourself wanting to believe a man could fly after all.”

Meanwhile, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ Doug Zawisza points out that “Johns and Frank are setting out to give us the absolute version of Superman's origin. Once and for all.”

THE ONION AV CLUB has some nice things to say about the creative team, noting that “Johns has a gift for windswept, heartfelt Smallville stories, and his script is served well by Frank’s tendency to make characters look simultaneously heroic and neurotic.”

And last, but certainly not least, IGN notes that “Once again, Johns does a tremendous job of tinkering with a property in a way that simultaneously injects new life into it and reminds readers why they fell in love in the first place. Gary Frank's artwork is as gorgeous and iconic as ever, and comes as further proof that he was born to draw Superman and his world.”

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comic book resources, gary frank, Geoff Johns, IGN, Superman, superman: secret origin, the onion av club

Experience the first days of Earth's greatest hero in SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1

It started in a tiny town. Smallville, Kansas, to be exact.

There, a boy named Clark Kent would begin to learn the lessons that would help him become not just a man, but the world’s greatest defender and a universal symbol of hope and freedom: Superman.

On September 29, the New York Times-bestselling creative team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank (SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON) reunite for SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, a tale that has become a part of our own modern mythology and inspired generations. The tale of an orphan boy from a distant world rocketed to Earth amidst the wreckage of his home planet and raised by two caring parents deep in the heartland of America. It’s a tale of alienation, discovery and growing up in a wild world littered with colorful heroes, murderous villains and some of the most recognizable characters in storytelling history.

Johns, a master of the heartfelt narrative and gifted with the ability to orchestrate a compelling superhero epic steeped in comic book lore, presents us with an all too human Clark Kent, struggling to cope with the stresses of youth and the realization that he is much more than just a boy -- or a man.

With SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, readers will experience the beginnings of not only Superman, but of some of comics’ most beloved characters and storylines in a modern, fresh setting. From Lex Luthor, Metropolis, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen to the Legion of Super-Heroes, Johns and Frank have created a work that is both definitive, refreshing and epic: the modern origin of Superman, the Man of Steel.

Not too long ago, we showed off some final pages from the first issue. But here are some more, courtesy of Mr. Johns and Frank.

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clark kent, gary frank, Geoff Johns, jummy olsen, lex luthor, lois lane, perry white, Superman, superman: secret origin

Geoff Johns talks BLACKEST NIGHT with WIRED.com

Scott Thill, over at WIRED.com's UNDERWIRE blog sits down with BLACKEST NIGHT writer Geoff Johns for a quick, but very informative interview. So informative that we're not even going to sample it here. It's really worth a few minutes of your web time to sit and read the whole thing, which touches on BLACKEST NIGHT, SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, Ivan Reis' amazing art and Johns' own "origin" story.

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blackest night, Geoff Johns, green lantern, ivan reis, Superman, superman: secret origin, Wired

Just another day for the SUPERMAN Group Editor

Hey folks! As usual, we have our regular “From the Editors” post coming your way. Being the diligent worker we all know and love, Matt Idelson managed to give us his entry early, as he made his escape to the distant land of Barcelona. Enjoy...

Spring has reverted to summer here in New York, which would be a nice thing if I could have class outside. Alas, I have a job to do, and panic’s starting to set in. The offices close early today going into Memorial Day weekend, and of course we’re closed Monday. Which means aside from Tuesday, I’ll be out of the office for a week and a half, attending a convention in Barcelona.

Tops on the priority list is putting a wrap on ACTION #878, the first of a two-part story by Greg Rucka & guest artist Diego Olmos that introduces us to a new pair of Kryptonian sleeper agents. Once I’m done giving the lettering a final pass, it comes down to waiting for the trusty and reliable Rod Reis to keep feeding us pages of color to go over. I know already that assistant editor Wil Moss and I will be reviewing pages over the course of the weekend so Rod can have the final colors ready for us when we come in Tuesday morning.

Not far behind that is keeping things moving on the ACTION ANNUAL, which comes out the week after ACTION #878. Greg’s done a very different story for this one, and it’s coming together beautifully. Pere Pérez, who knocked it out of the park with the GUARDIAN SPECIAL last fall, is doing all 40 pages of this one, and it’s pretty awesome. Right now I have to start reviewing Mazi’s colors for the book—they’re gorgeous, but of course I have to go over them with a fine-tooth comb and make sure everything is as it should be. The guy can color, though, no question!

My focus is broken when Wil, associate editor Sean Ryan and editor Liz Gehrlein pop in for our daily session of updates, problem solving and movie reviews. Today I discover that neither Liz nor Sean had seen “Taxi Driver” before the past weekend. I am appalled. Some of our discussion centers around actual work, in this case some ideas Geoff Johns has had for his contribution to the upcoming SUPERMAN SECRET FILES. Geoff has an alteration in mind that opens up some interesting possibilities …

The gang leaves to do their thing, and I get back to ACTION – but wait! An excellent colorist who goes by the name “Blond” has accepted our offer to color the upcoming SUPERGIRL ANNUAL since our regular SUPERGIRL colorist, Nei Ruffino, is way too busy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this means I have to establish a pay rate for him—I’m guessing he won’t do this for free out of love for the medium.

Oh, look – it’s almost 1. Gah! Clearly I’m not getting out of here when the offices close. That’s cool—I have the best job in the world anyway. Leisure and cookouts can wait. Especially when I get an email from David Macho in Spain, with Santiago Arcas’ colors for the first installment of our Captain Atom co-feature, which will debut in ACTION #879. David says in the email that we’ll be stunned by what we see. He wasn’t kidding!!!!!! Man, I can’t wait for that issue to come out. The readers are definitely in for a treat!

The phone rings and Jim Fletcher of DC Direct fame is on the line with some Superman-related questions, mostly of the “will this character be around a year from now?” variety. They do really cool stuff down there, and I’m eagerly awaiting my Mike Carlin action figure.

Cue a discussion over Rocket Reds with SUPERMAN artist Renato Guedes, figuring out what the tomb of Zor-El is going to look like with Pete Woods, going over lettering corrections for SUPERGIRL #42 with Sterling Gates, a new idea from Geoff (him again?!?) about the end of SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #2, annnnnd the end of the day has finally arrived! Well, it’s 1 o’clock somewhere …