Letters to SUPERWOMAN: FOR TOMORROW #3

Fantastic cover, Steve! Bravo!

I have never been able to write a proper Superman story. I get worried, I panic, and I find that because he's so powerful, nothing clicks for me. I like his supporting cast, Steel and the Guardian, that kind of thing, so I shuffle the Man of Steel off to the fringe and do big things with those kinda guys. My first Superman run was a hodge podge of that problem. Lots of guest stars, lots of grim and gritty, and then... It was just crappy fan fiction, and I realise that. Later stories were more "World Without Superman", and that's okay, that's what I wanted to do, but I feel like the only time I've been able to write a good Superman was when he was part of the Justice League. I have so many IDEAS and IDEALS about the guy, but actually putting them down onto paper? OOPH. Not happening.

Superwoman is different though. Kara Zor-El is different on the DC2. I've said it before, but not really reflected on it in the issues themselves. Escaped Argo City via rocket! Crashed on a jungle planet! Found years later by her now-grown cousin! Brought to Earth by Superman! Lots of loss in her life. Lots of oddities. But now she's doing her best to live up to Kal's legacy, but what if it's more than that? What if she's trying to live up to something in herself? And what if she makes mistakes and unlike Kal, doesn't rectify them straight away? Kryptonians are supposed to be these utopian ideals... But what if really, they're just as messed up as us?

I can write a Superwoman story. I love writing these characters. The first issue, I feel, was a bit rocky, but the second issue, I was getting there, and this third issue, I think was really strong. Fourth issue is halfway done. I've written the final scene, just need to go back and fill in the blanks now. I'll speak to Steve about the cover soon, to see if he's interested in collaborating again.

But this issue was the closest to a classic Superman story that I read growing up than any of the others. I mean, damn, we had Mr Mxyzptlk (wrote that without checking!) doing his thing, mischievous in a different way than usual. I muddled in a character from the Supergirl show, you may not like what I did, but it serves a purpose. And there's a defiant streak that I like in Kara, her refusal to back down. I liked writing this issue. I got scared when I realised I wanted to use the 5th dimensional imp (because who can beat his use in Grant Morrison's nu52 Action Comics run?) but then I found my take on him and it was firing on all cylinders.

Anyway, I hope if you read the issue you enjoyed. Next issue is going to be a barnstormer.

...Then what?

I think I've said it before-- the world hasn't stopped turning. It's been nearly a decade since Superman vanished, but that doesn't mean threats are going to go underground. If anything, they'll have used his absence as an excuse to come out of the woodwork and try it on. At this point, Kara has been active longer than Clark ever was, so she's going to have developed a whole new rogues gallery.


Oh, another motivation suck happened and I didn't deliver the story I wanted to. In my original version, we were going to see Kara's rogues from across the years, and each time see a different 'age' of Superwoman as she grew into the role she's accepted. Instead, I went with the Mxy-heavy narrative and I think it worked even better. All these things have happened, they're all coming home to roost, and I get to use Toyman again and do something different with the character again. 

My Winn is a bit different to the Supergirl show's, but it took a beat from that narrative and turned it around. In the series, he's really quite nice, and adjusted, and he put himself out there and Kara shot him down. It's alluded to here, but he did the same to our Kara, and instead of taking it on the chin and accepting that she wasn't into him, he "outed" an earlier identity she was trying on, and she's struggled to trust since. She shunned him-- parallels to how she's shunned Lena!-- and he's never got over it, and turned to this really horrible version of himself to continue. Toyman is a creep and I think he should always be horrible. But I digress.


Yes! I wanted to try and write levity and while it still had a darker edge to it-- namely the Toyman stuff-- I think I pulled it off! Thanks fo that.


I think my problem is, I struggle to write the lighthearted stuff, because I believe I'm really good at the darker content. I don't think that's too arrogant of me to say,  I just know that's the direction I lean in. Mxy is the ultimate test of all that, and I remember reading one of those great The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told collections and his first appearance there was so zany and weird, it stuck with me. I've wanted to use him ever since, but for some reason that's one of the few concepts I've shown restraint on... probably due to the fear of messing up the tone.

Kara and Lena have sadly drifted apart massively since the last issue. It's about two years on and they're now completely separated, the only connection being the project they were working with Power Girl on, and now that's something mainly Lena and the latter are part of. More on that next issue.

Yes! The cover was fantastic. Steve's a great collaborator and I've been so lucky this past year since I returned to the DC2 with regards to the talent I've been blessed to work with. It was the cover that really crafted where the story was going to go, because I threw all these elements at Steve, he delivered, then I used his end result to inspire me. Here's the email I sent him detailing what I wanted to see (with some spoilerific content removed):

"Right, so Superwoman #3 involves the return of Mr Mxyzptlk after a nine year absence. The jist of the story is kind of looking back over Kara's career over the nine years, and all the stuff she's been through.

It's actually one of the darker stories because it comes after the "break up" of her friendship with Lena Luthor in #2. Mxyzptlk makes Kara realise that she doesn't have to be so glum, and it sets up the reformation of Lena and her friendship in #4, which is also the issue that [SPOILERS].

For the cover, I'd like a close up of either Kara or Mxyzptlk's head. Which do you think would work better? It could be Mxyzptlk winking at the audience, or Kara looking bamboozled, because the top of her head is open (like a lid) or it could be Mxyzptlk with the top of his bowler hat open.

I like the classic look for Mxyzptlk:



Out of the top of her head / his hat, flowing like smoke or in bubbles, are all kinds of Silver Age weirdness. I'd like to see Nuclear Man (it could be a male or female version, up to you):



Seeing Toyman would be cool:



A version of the Prankster (again, male or female, I'm easy):



A female version of Power Man (this was a robot Superman created back in the day):



Reactron (a woman):



Any oddness you want to include, like Lionheaded Superwoman, evil Superwoman, Electric Superwoman, Superwoman Blue and Superwoman Red, all the zany kind of things we can go crazy with. In fact, if we go with Mxyzptlk being the one with the head, seeing all those different versions of Superwoman would be really cool!







If you like, there are other villains that could make an appearance that I don't have references for, that are "original creations" for the story. The Kryptonite Family (a mum, dad, two kids and a dog who are all irradiated with different types of Kryptonite). Even seeing a chibi version of Power Girl-- Powermite-- a chibi guy-- would be brilliant. Just weird and offbeat. Anyone else you want to include feel free, this should be a blast!"

And the end result (again):



God damn I love his Superwoman. Can't wait for you to see Omega Crisis #2's cover! It's majestic!