Back on Friday I wrote about how the media picked up on the fact that Superman was going to die via an interview with Mike Carlin in Advance Comics. Advance Comics was to Capital City Distribution what Previews is to Diamond Distribution back when there was more than one way to get comics to a specialty shop. Thanks to my friend Alan Leach, Jr I have a copy of that interview and because I thought it was keen and I am trying to be as thorough as I can with the coverage of the Death and Return of Superman I scanned it to share with y’all.
As usual, enjoy!
Some thoughts on this interview:
- It is interesting that Carlin doesn’t mention that the idea to kill the character was chosen because they wanted to have the wedding happen in either Superman #75 or Adventures of Superman #500 and couldn’t. I wonder if DC or Warner Bros. or both “said” that he couldn’t talk about the new Superman television series that would become Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
- I liked how the reporter asked if the death was going to be in-continuity. It never occurred to me that it wouldn’t be so it was interesting to see someone ask that question.
- Carlin is very vague on the origins of Doomsday. I am working under the assumption that he and the creative staff had no idea who Doomsday really was or what his origin might be, at least not at the time of this interview.
- Carlin cites the X-Men and Lobo as being competition for the Superman books. While this was certainly true I didn’t really see that at the time. Then again I had been buying the Superman titles for five years by this point and it never crossed my mind that the X-Men or Lobo would be competition for the books I bought because I never chose to buy one over the other. It is a weird way to look at the situation but that’s how I saw it.
- I was not aware that before the death there was talk of cancelling one of the Superman titles. It was interesting to see Carlin admit to that and to the fact that the continued success of the Superman books depended on how well the death did. Glad it worked out for the Man of Steel because it would have broken my sixteen to seventeen year old heart to have one of the Superman titles cancelled.
- The quote, “We don’t know what death means for a Kryptonian,” will be used again in both the Newsday article, on a CNN Headline News piece and a variation will be used in the comics (albeit loosely) and in the BBC adaptation.
- I thought the talk of Superman’s powers at the end of the article was very, very cool. I don’t know why. I just did.
- This was a great interview and I am glad Alan Leach, Jr. sent it to me.
Next time: The Newsday article that started the whole media ball of wax rolling.
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More to follow…
Great stuff Mike, thanks for posting this.
I love the bonus tidbits of history and information you guys provide on the show! Some of it I knew, most I’m learning. I’m really excited for more FCTC! I was looking for some audiodramas on iTunes, like Superman Lives, but couldn’t find it. Which audiodramas were you guys talking about that were on iTunes? Thanks guys and keep up the good work!
I just checked iTunes and was surprised to see that this wasn’t there. It used to be. Here’s a link for Amazon that will take you right to it.
http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Doomsday-Beyond-Full-Cast-Radio/dp/1846070724/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324360455&sr=8-2
It has a bundle deal for both this and Batman: Knightfall, which I recommend.
The notion that someone in the story guesses correctly about Doomsday’s origin, I find intriguing. I don’t remember this from when I recently reread it. Maybe you can bring it up on the show if you spot it?
Any plans to have Mike Carlin on FCTC?
Totally sweet. Thanks Mike, I’d never read this before.