NYCC 2008: DC Nation Panel
Written by: Ron Bricker
"The call goes out once more! Join Sr. VP/ Executive Editor Dan Didio, Senior Coordinating Editor Jann Jones, Keith Giffen (52, Reign in Hell) Jim Starlin (Death of the New Gods), Justin Gray (Countdown to Adventure), Gail Simone (Wonder Woman), Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Justice Society of America, Action Comics), Peter Tomasi (Nightwing, Green Lantern Corps) and others, to catch a glimpse of what will be the most talked about events of the new year!" – NYCC Program Guide
Didio kicked off the panel saying he was going to do something different this year with the DC Nation. Acknowledging the cryptic style normal DC Nations follow.
The first topic of discussion is the happenings with Green Lantern. Geoff Johns vaguely jokes about the series without actually saying anything. But it is clear there is a lot of hype behind the “Blackest Night” and where Green Lantern is headed.
Didio then brought up DC Universe #0, releasing on April 30th for 50 cents with a taste of everything the DC has to offer heading into the future written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns. Dan Didio asks fans what they know/ expect about Final Crisis to one fan asking, “You going to kill Nightwing?” to a roar of laughter, a running joke since the release of Infinite Crisis nearly two years ago.
Dan Didio then presented the DC Nation “Time Board” resembling Rip Hunter’s chart board displayed during DC’s first weekly 52 which presented readers with vague hints at future stories. Lastly a mere 10 seconds, the “Time Board” gave teases about what the DC Universe has coming.
Didio then asked the entire panel, “What is Final Crisis” about? A lot of jokingly commenced, with Geoff Johns saying, “I know everything about Final Crisis” to which a wave of jealousy sweep over the crowd.
Final Crisis, written by Grant Morrison and penciled by J.G. Jones, followed by Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, and Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge, were all touched on. Along with a handful of one-shots by the likes of Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, and Greg Rucka.
Followed by surprise announcements of two more Final Crisis tie-ins called Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns and Final Crisis: Revelations by Greg Rucka. Nothing more was said about these projects.
Gail Simone then took the spotlight to touch on Wonder Woman including a bomb dropped that there would be a man Wonder Woman.
The discussion then moved to DC’s books for children. Didio got the audience to show their love for Tiny Titans and announced a new Supergirl miniseries taking place in the 8th grade titled Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures of 8th Grade.
Talks about Blue Beetle, Krypto the Superdog, and an announcement by Sean McKeever about a Wonder Dog appearing in Teen Titans down the road.
“Batman R.I.P.” was the next topic of discussion where Dan Didio asked the panel if Batman was going to die. Every panelist joked including Keith Giffen’s hysterical response, “Not in a movie year”, as a direct stab towards the unfortunate franchising of characters.
Geoff Johns then touched on his and James Robinson’s collaborations happening between Action Comics and Superman, and the epic story that is on the way flowing all the way into 2010.
Absolute editions League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier and Frank Miller’s Ronin were then announced
The discussion was then brought back to the DCU with Geoff John’s spilling the beans on the Justice Society of America Annual #1 in which Powergirl visits her old friends on Earth-2. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray then announced a new on-going they will be working on about Powergirl.
The panel ended with the “Lightning Round” where Geoff Johns was bombarded with questions including how long is Gary Frank staying on Action Comics to which he replied, “forever.”