Saturday brought a boatload of news from DC, which isn’t surprising, given the number of comics panels they held.
In Saturday’s DC The New 52 panel, Geoff Johns said that his version of Aquaman will add a humor element by having the other characters in the DCU see him in the same funny but unflattering light that most people do in the real world. Meanwhile, the new version of Hawkman, as written by Tony S. Daniels will no longer have Hath Set as his archnemesis, instead introducing a new foe. Cyborg, originally a member of the Teen Titans, will now be a founding member of the Justice League.
Meanwhile, in Green Lantern news, Sinestro will continue to bear the Green Lantern ring, while Hal Jordan will be homeless, for some reason, which will be played for laughs.
In DC’s The Dark and The Edge panel (we see what you did there, yes, yes, darker edgier, we get it) it was revealed Animal Man will return as a horror comic written by Jeff Lemire and inspired by early pre-Vertigo comics. Lemire also will create the new title Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE. Paul Cornell will create the new book Demon Knights, featuring Etrigan, Madame Xanadu and Vandal Savage among others as a sort of “Magnificent Seven”. Meanwhile, Swamp Thing will no longer be a different person from Alec Holland, reversing Alan Moore’s reinterpretation of the character, and yet every Swamp Thing story will remain in continuity. Suicide Squad will also return, with an emphasis on the premise’s darker nature. Joshua Fialkov will write a new take on the classic horror comic I, Vampire. Stormwatch will return, written by Paul Cornell, and Apollo and The Midnighter will still be gay and a couple. Issue 1 will be their first meeting. Because none of these books will be part of the Vertigo line, they will lack the line’s traditional nudity and profanity.
At the Fables panel, Fables creator Bill Willingham announced a new Fables spin-off called Fairest. With rotating protagonists, primarily various fairy tale women reputed to be the fairest in the land, the book will be written and illustrated by a rotating cast as well. The first storyline will feature Sleeping Beauty and will be written by Willingham himself, with art by Phil Jimenez. The second storyline will be Rapunzel in Japan, written by award-winning science fiction author Lauren Beukes and illustrated by Inaki Miranda.
In Marvel news, remember what I said about Cable staying dead? Forget it, Marvel just announced their next big thing – Cable Reborn! Well, I suppose it was always going to happen… The book will be created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness. Also, at some point in the future, the Runaways will return in their own book, but in the meantime Nico and Molly will appear in other Marvel books. Moon Knight, Hope and the Scarlet Witch will be getting major storylines.
Kate Fitzsimons is the producer of PW Comics World’s new podcast More To Come, starring The Beat’s own Heidi MacDonald. You can subscribe to it on iTunes here. She will be covering San Diego Comic-Con all week for The Beat – if you have a tip, twitter her at geekiferouskate.
“Geoff Johns said that his version of Aquaman will add a humor element by having the other characters in the DCU see him in the same funny but unflattering light that most people do in the real world. ”
Wow, could this be an opportunity to introduce real-world sarcasm and cynicism in to superhero comics? How novel. How cutting-edge.