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Pulse Trailer and Lois Lane Related Rage
Firstly:
And may I just say, woo hoo! (I love 'contains horror'.) It's brilliant to actually be able to share some clips with the world.
For those of you not in the UK, here's that trailer on YouTube:
To join the Facebook fan page for Pulse, which is now accessible wherever you are in the world, go here.
And may I just say, woo hoo! (I love 'contains horror'.) It's brilliant to actually be able to share some clips with the world.
For those of you not in the UK, here's that trailer on YouTube:
To join the Facebook fan page for Pulse, which is now accessible wherever you are in the world, go here.
And myself, Executive Producer Simon Heath and actors Arsher Ali, Emily Beecham and Gregg Chillin will be appearing on a Pulse panel at noon, Sunday 30th May, at the MCM London Expo. All the details can be found here.
There'll be more Pulse news shortly.
There'll be more Pulse news shortly.
Secondly, a huge controversy erupted overnight about this interview. I made the mistake of teasing that Lex Luthor, in my story arc in Action Comics, would be taking Lois Lane along with him 'as his girlfirend'. I, and this is silly of me in retrospect, expected the reaction to be 'oh, well, that can't possibly be true, I wonder what it really means, I'm so intrigued', instead of which, the actual reaction was 'arrgggghhhhhhhhhloveLoisandClarkasacouplekillyoukillyoukillyou!'
Now, we all know of creators whose response to this situation would be to continue to tease the audience and maybe get a 'Lex and Lois 4 Ever' tattoo. And I did indeed give that some thought, because that brave stance increases publicity. But, having slept on it, well, if we did that, we're not going to get any extra sales out of it. We're going to get one guy who'd have bought it anyway telling everyone 'oh, I've just looked at it, it's not what you think', and then everyone else blaming us for the anger they'd felt.
I'm not going to tell you what the actual Lex/Lois deal is, because that really would be spoiling the issue, and would be unjust to my lovely editors, who are probably as surprised at all this as I am. But I will say: if you're a Lois and Clark fan, you'll see, a few pages in, that you have no reason to be angry. I respect your love for these characters, I love your passion, and I want to write for that passion, not against it. We'll get sales not out of artificial controversy, but because we're telling a good story. I think this is a good story, and I don't want to distract from it by creating fake suspense over something that's a side issue. Just... trust me, okay?
Phew. I even had an old friend of my wife's pop up about this. People in the real world care about these characters. And they absolutely should.
And finally, here is an interview I did for the 2 Minute Time Lord podcast, about Pulse and my love for the new Doctor Who.
I'm looking forward to the Bristol Comics Expo, starting with the usual epic curry and booze session tonight. I'm most looking forward to seeing my gang of British comics writers and artists, but there's also Ian Edginton's Sherlock Holmes graphic novels, the Classic Comics Shakespeare, the French translations and the t-shirts I buy only at comic conventions. If you're there, do say hello. Until then, Cheerio! (Lois and Clark 4 Ever.)
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Great blog and thanks for letting us know. I knew not to panic about any comments you made but I also a lot of people really getting scared. I guess many of us just miss seeing Lois and Clark together. I really wish Action Comics got the message that fans love these characters and we want to see more of them together and less of them apart. So adding a Lex/Lois twist to the mix just didn’t sit right with some people, even as a joke. Anyway, I’ll definitely be checking out the issue when it comes out and hopefully I’ll enjoy what I read. But yeah, “Lois and Clark forever!” lol I’m a huge fan of the superman mythology since I was 9 years old and now I’m 24 so I’m “super” invested in it! ;)
Hi, Paul,
The Action run sounds great, really looking forward to it!
Just wondering if you'll ever get to tackle Superman himself, though, and your thoughts on the character.
As a Superman fan who's had the character out of his main two titles for a year or so, I am a little disappointed to hear that you signed on for Lex and that you'll focus on him. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it'll be a blast, but I'd just like to see one of my favourite writers on one of my favourite characters.
Any love for Big Blue?
Doesn't surprise me that people would take your comments so out of hand.
LOL if you've in any way supported what Quesada did with One More Day, people will always assume if you come over to DC you're going to do the same thing to Lois and Clark.
Not to mention more writers in the industry are saying they want the characters portrayed the way they read them as kids and its all one big throwback we all end assuming.
And you thought you got an extreme reaction when you showed The Black Knight (Gasp!) not wearing his Armour!!!
It seems like a BIT of a knee jerk reaction. It surprised me, that's for sure. I look forward to the run. Not usually a DC reader, but I do dabble from time to time, when I find a storyline or creative team I'm interested in. This one sounds promising.
Sadly, I will not be going to Bristol. :(
Can't justify the spend right now. Bit gutted. The Captain Britain fan in me was desperate to meet Chris Claremont. Sadly though, it's coming down to 'Go to Bristol' or 'Own a sofa' or 'Pay my Mortgage payment' this month.
Damn you, Real World!!!!
I think after the fuss a few years ago when a previous Superman writer extensively slagged off Lois in an interview, there's no suggestion so jokey that fans won't consider it to be actually possible.
Lex and Lois are always a fun combination anyway, so looking forward to that.
Love the Pulse logo, with the flickering light. Please tell me that's pretty much the entire title sequence? Would be very subdued and cool if it was.
It's a twist, rather than a joke, Anon, but as soon as all becomes clear, halfway through the first issue, you'll see why you don't have to worry. And thanks. Great: I *love* Superman. He's all about nature vs. nurture. I think he's a very well-raised chap whose name is Clark Kent, who then discovered his ethnic origins. Evan: don't quite follow, but yes, I did support that, and still do. Sword: sorry we won't see you there. There's a lot of love for these characters out there, we saw that last night! Mark: that is, indeed, pretty much the whole title sequence! Glad to be of service.
In a lot of people's eyes, no matter how many times he's tried to distance himself from it, JMS is responsible for breaking up Peter Parker and Mary Jane. So when he was announced as the writer and creative team head of Superman, the rumors flew think and heavy that he'd do the same thing. The interviews where he said he loved the silver age Superman were instantly inferred to death to mean "the unmarried, alien Superman who is all alone yadda yadda yadda.
So when you came along and talked about Lois being Lex's "girlfriend" all you did was feed those fears.
Americans in general are a very reactive people. We tend to wait until the crisis happens and then go batshit. And as I'm sure you know from your country's newspapaers, a major crisis makes a better front page than "This might be something to look at in a few years".
Thanks for the reply, Paul! Can't wait for your run to start!
When I read the article about Lois and Lex I have to admit I did get a little panicky but then I thought no, you wouldn't do anything bad. Look forward to reading it and thanks Paul for relieving my anxiety!
Remember that recent movie where Superman was a stalker and deadbeat dad? Fans do, and that's part of why this spooked them. But I remember all sorts of fun comic book covers where Superman would see Lois and Lex married or Jimmy Olsen taking his place or some silliness, and it's either a ruse they have to pull or an "Imaginary Story" and everything turns out just fine. I was hoping this was something along those lines.
My favorite DC character is Conner Kent. Any chance he'll pop up in Action, since you're dealing with one of his two dads?
You are much less evil than I. I would've proceeded to go on and on about how Lex and Lois are going to buy a house together in the Hamptons...or whatever the "Metropolis" version of the Hamptons is. :)
The Pulse trailer looks AMAZING. And thank you for posting a US-friendly one. I know that, even if (WHEN!) it goes to series, it'll be a while until we get it anyway, but you've got fans here, and BBC3 needs to know that (and let BBC America know that!). :)
Good to hear about Pulse in your interview with Chip on the Two Minute Timelord. Just watched the clip and it looks great. Good luck with it!
And congrats. on the great review of Pulse on Den of Geek.
http://www.denofgeek.com/television/487199/pulse_pilot_episode_review.html
Hi Paul,
Thank you so much for clarifying the issue with Lex and Lois.
I wasn't one of the people who sent you tweets but I will totally admit that I cringed when I read the interview. However, I thought to myself..."Ok...well that's weird but I imagine there must be some twist to it." I am relieved though that you clarified.
I'm a 28 year old comics fan. Been reading my whole life. I know people have differing views on this but I'm in the camp that likes to see my heroes mature and grow up to a certain extent. I'm a huge proponent of DC not only keeping the marriage in place but making a real effort to actually try and write mature relationships. Sometimes I think there is this idea out there that everyone who read comics want everything to stay the way it was when they were kids. And while taht might be true for some, I've come across a lot of people in my life that really WANT to see the comics truly embrace mature relationships. I'm married myself. Marriage is not boring. If you are married to the right person it's a true adventure. It's only boring if you have the wrong person writing it. :) I really do miss seeing Clark and Lois together. I miss seeing Superman as Clark Kent period! I really wish that he would come back to his own books. He's such a complex character when he's out there trying to balance his life as Clark with his duties as Superman. To me, he is a million times more interesting trying to be a husband and a reporter while still saving the world than he is when he abandons his human persona.
Thank you again for the clarification. I'm looking forward to checking out the comic book now that I know that Lois will be respected.
From: Dave
Really appreciate the comments. Totally admit that my wife and I were a bit nervous when we read that interview! We are big fans. Glad to see that you have eased everyone's fears. You are so right about the controversy---sometimes it's better to just be straight with people. You're a good guy.
I really like Clark and Lois being married and I would be upset and feel gipped as a fan if it was taken away. To me, as a lifelong Superman fan, it was the natural progression of the story. I also sort of like the idea now that Superman is sort of this "father figure" "alpha male" of everyone in his books. We've got these younger guys in Conner, Chris etc. It's so cool to think that Clark has become this man in his 30's who everyone can look up to and aspire to be. He has this presence about him. Part of that, for me, is that he's been able to understand what it means to love and commit himself to someone. That is something that we all aspire to. (Or at least I would hope we all do.) I like that he's this guy that the younger heroes can look up to and think, "Wow, I want to get there. I want to be like him." It makes him more of a hero in my eyes.
Thanks again Paul!
Thank you so much for this post. You didn't have to ease fears, but you did anyway.
I've often wondered why people (me included) are so vested in a fictional relationship, and why the thought of it being tampered with is so upsetting.
It's cliche but maybe there is a grain of truth that so much of our world changes on a dime that it's important to have some constants.
Lois and Clark have been a constant in one way or another since Action #1, and that means something to many (not all!) people.
The creators of Superman Returns found out the hard way when they tampered with the Lois/Clark relationship by adding a third party not named Superman. It just doesn't work.
Smallville learned a similar lesson last year when they showed Clark throw over Lois Lane for Lana Lang. The furor over that arc was loud and angry.
I think the Superman story is a modern day myth. People (me included) say they want change, but really, they don't. They just want things to remain the same but with an illusion of difference.
I LOVE your work on Dr. Who and I can't wait to read your run in Action.
I hope you stick around on the book long enough to write Clark/Superman. I'd love to read your take on him.
I figured that would probably be a twist to it. But what bothered me is that it implies Lois is a minor character compared to Lex, whereas I think if Superman is not around it should be Lois Lane and her supporting cast. I don't like the way the interview presented Lois as the second-banana.
And while I know your track record suggests something better, doing a non-twist version isn't far removed from what DC has done in the past.
Especially since, according to John Byrne, Marv Wolfman's early Luthor pitch included Lois as his "attracted to power" mistress.
Well as many people who love Lois and Clark ,many people can't stand the marriage too. Especially Lois, who frankly is more and more dull and tedious the longer she is married to Superman. I think Superman is too rigid right now and needs to throw off the baggage of the last decade. I think DC is in a bit of a bind there and nothing will really change until they decide to reboot. It's a reflection of where Superman is in the scheme of things right now. Below Batman and Green Lantern.
DC needs to take stock that people who cling to their childhood need to make way for people who are young and want to read something fresh. Not Clark whining over Lois as he seems to have done for the last decade or their domestic angst. It's like reading your parents. Lois and Clark are a staple that has become stale and boring and I think DC wants to do something but are too scared to bite the bullet. So they have these little separations but keep the marriage by trying to have their cake and eat it. It hasn't worked sales wise before. So why should it now? The only time Superman is interesting is when he is in a big event and Lois is hardly in it. Kinda ironic, I think.
Much like in TV, so it is in comics: shipping give people violent thoughts. :)
Paul is clearly a nice man who doesn't want to jerk the fans around. That shows class as well as respect for both the legendary characters he is writing for and the fans.
Second, I think it's important not to generalize or state to our opinions as facts. Back when the whole Peter/MJ thing went down in Marvel, several popular sites conducted polls with fans asking them if they wanted DC to keep Clark and Lois together. The majority response was "Yes." There were some people who voted against it---but they were in the minority. I'm not saying that's official by any means....but it is something to remember.
Third, the ironic thing is that Smallville's 9th season has proven that Clark and Lois as a couple are not only NOT stale for a large number of fans out there but more popular than ever.
And yes, I agree that I have never seen more outrage in any television fandom than during the very very poorly received arc during Season 8 where Lois was cast aside and vansished off the radar for most of the second half of the season. I'm not sure I've ever seen fans more enraged and angry than during that time period.
Geoff Johns actually touched on this briefly when he wrote the episode "Absolute Justice" back in February. When asked what his favorite part of Smallville was he commented on how well the Clark and Lois relationship worked. He said that when those two were together he literally couldn't look away. Now, this is only opinion. However, ratings don't lie. Even though the show is in it's 9th season and airing on a FRIDAY night (the kiss of death for most shows) every episode this year that had Clark and Lois at the FOREFRONT was a ratings winner for Smallville. The highest ratest episode of the season (outside of the 2 hour movie) was an episode called "Idol" that was Lois and Clark centric. This Spring, the show took it's normal ratings dive in the later half of the season but rebounded AGAIN with good ratings for the episode "Charade"---again Clark, Lois, Superman centric. Both of these episodes were also praised by critics including those heavily invested in the comics at the Superman homepage. The show pulled in great ratings AGAIN for the finale entitled "Salvation" that was also very Lois heavy. Thousands and thousands of fans swarmed Comic Con last summer and screamed their heads off for a freaking 30 second clip of Clark and Lois making love in a trailer. 30 seconds...that was all it took to make thousands and thousands of fans go out of their minds.
Doug Trimble for the Superman hompeage has gone on record with his view that Smallville's take on the Triangle For 2 is BRILLIANT and fresh and should be used as a model for all future versions of the Superman story because it respects the integrity of both Clark and Lois. In short, it doesn't make Lois look stupid and it doesn't make Clark looks like a jackass for lying repeatedly to the woman he loves. (Which as you many recall is many people's complaint about the original Triangle for 2.)
Geoff Johns is a smart guy. One of the things he talked about when he wrote for Smallville this year was the idea that he hoped to draw people from Smallville to the comics. He openly admitted that he hoped that people who saw his work on Smallville would be willing to pick up a comic book.
There are Clark and Lois fansites out there that have upwards of 7,000+ members. These fans are RABID. Geoff Johns stated in a recent interview that he's even considering bringing back a version of a Lois Lane comic book down the line. HE's seen firsthand with the rabid Clark and Lois fans in Smallville that people are crazy for these two together. Ratings don't lie and these two have proven to bring in ratings and business that DC comics couldn't even DREAM about right now. And that is straight out of the mouth of Geoff Johns.
Mr. Cornell, thanks for taking the time to clarify what you meant in your interview with newsarama.com. I admit when I read the article, I was one of many who didn't care for what it implied. I'm not a member of the twitterverse so I couldn't let you know how I felt about it, although I am sorry for the comments you received that got too personal. I'm glad to have come across your blog. I would've passed on your issue and waited until I got a definitive review on it. But by being straight up with the fans, I'm now going to give it a chance and read it. I don't know you but I respect you for being straightforward. Lois with Clark Kent/Superman has worked for over 70 years. So, yes - Lois and Clark 4 Ever.
Thanks for not being one of those writers that lives for the controversy, when there really isn't one.
For me when I read the interview, I was pretty much going "well I can continue to not read the Superman books, just as I have been doing the past 2 years then."
It just didn't sound like anything that interesting to me, in large part because it sounded like Lois was going from a character to a prize for the nearest male. (can't be with Superman? don't worry she's Lex's girl now!)
I'll be honest with you I had no idea what you've written until I came to this site through a link.
If you've written for Doctor Who, then I probably have enjoyed your stuff (having been a fan of the current run of shows) so that gives me a little more confidence. Still don't know about a Luthor lead story, but I'm willing to give it a look at least now.
Good morning Mr Cornell
Not posted on here for a while but just read Age of Heroes (two pages? Damn you Marvel you little tease)....thank you is all I can say. I've waited years for Brain to get that offer. Do we know in which series he'll be appearing...or is that still subject to secrecy? Loved the exchange betwen Brian and Steve, people seem to forget these guys have known each other for a long time.
Even as a die hard Marvelite I think I may hav to check out Action Comics, Pulse looks amazing and I am sooo looking forward to the Spitfire one-shot.
You seem to be a busy busy man at the moment. When are Marvel finally going to relent and give you the Defenders to play with?
My dear old Dad is coming round today to steal my copy of Age of Heroes...
Best of British!
Darren Wilson (Willow616)
Thanks, all. Heff: we look in on him in our first issue, but that's pretty much it for his involvement. This is Lex vs. the villains, so it's natural to begin with all the important things in Lex's life. Anon: indeed, and having brought back Captain Britain's wife on that basis, I don't think married characters are boring, either. (Though the next anonymous person represents all those comic fans who feel differently: the companies have to try and please both.) Dave: I very much feel that way about Clark. Next Anon: I'd *love* to write a Lois Lane book. My attraction to the Superman universe largely revolves around her. James: thanks for giving it a go. Darren: thanks! Hope your Dad likes it. I wrote that two-parter without an editorial mandate to put Cap into Avengers. It was more of a suggestion on my part. So now it's up to the editors. Cheers.
Wow, some really fascinating comments on here.
Paul, I am really looking forward to this story about Lex now. (Even moreso now that I know that Clark and Lois are safe.)
Is there something in particular that really draws you to Lex? You touched on this a bit in your interview with Newsrama. Do you find him to be a sympathetic character?
I've always been drawn to Lois as a character and to Clark and Lois when they are together. There are always going to be people who don't like her because she's the type of character who rocks the boat. It's not much different from what many women still go through even in the year 2010. If Lois was a real person I imagine some people would adore her and some people would hate her which is part of what makes a cool character in my book. It fascinates that Superman has this female character created 70+ years ago that was so ahead of her time in so many ways and even now still has the kind of personality that can be hard to reconcile for a woman. However, to me, she has always made complete sense as the soulmate for Superman because he is so intensely good and pure and I can understand why he would be drawn to someone who is very flawed but has a very good heart. Clark is one of the few men out there who is strong enough to handle a woman like Lois because HE is so strong. If Superman was real, Lois is the type of woman I'd expect him to be madly in love with.
Ironically, I remember when LnC aired in the 90's one of the creators commenting that Clark and Lex were both such strong, powerful men who were both drawn to the same strong dynamic in Lois. Like Alpha males going after the strongest mate in the pack. I despise the idea of Lex and Lois ever together in a relationship but I actually can understand why HE would be drawn to her.
I'm slightly fascinated now as to what the heck Lois is going to be doing with Lex in this run in Action. Are these two going to kill each other?? LOL
Paul, looking forward to check out all the work you are doing for Action and hearing your further thoughts. Thanks again for chatting! Great work on Dr. Who as well!
Dave
I don't think Lex is sympathetic so much as fascinating. Hope you like it when you see it, cheers.
My comics reviews from this past week included a very serious note to Marvel on behalf of Captain Britain:
http://tinyurl.com/2g4au37
:)
I've had a question, and since you're writing Lex maybe you might have an insight. Ever since I've watched the Iron Man movies, especially the second one. Is Tony Stark what Lex would/could have become if there hadn't been a Superman?(and the flip as well)
I've never really read that much IM comics but that was just something that struck me as there seemed to be so many similarities in the characters.
Saw that, Ter! James: I nearly included an Iron Man movie homage in a Lex dream sequence I'm writing, because the characters are, indeed, just a smidgin apart.
Just a quick remark about your comics work in general. Well, two, I suppose, since I want to start by saying it's really lovely stuff, and the "I could murder a cup of tea" line at the end of Captain Britain was the best ending to any story that I can recall right now.
But as for the second remark, at times you assume an awful lot of background. In Captain Britain, it was possible to muddle through, and I think it worked pretty well. Without any idea of idea who Meggan was, for example, it was possible to work out the basics (or what I assume were the basics). Still, for much of the story it was sort of "Here's this woman I've never seen before who's not quite managing to get out of Hell, and apparently Brian's married to her, so I guess that would be meaningful to him if he knew about it."
There are two basic cases of such background detail. One is represented solely by Doctor Who. Here you may be as obscure as you need to and everyone will know exactly what you mean, and if some people don't, perhaps God didn't mean them to be watching the show anyway, though out of compassion we may assume they just need to catch up. Still, even for Doctor Who, it's usually better to tell a nice clean story, as witness "Family of Blood," by, oh, whoever it was.
In other situations, though, particularly comics, there's a suffocating accretion of background detail from generations of really bad stories, preserved in the name of "continuity." Personally, I think this is just in the way, and since I don't have a taste for comics of that kind, I feel left out whenever I drop by.
In Captain Britain, as I say, I think there was a nice balance. On the other hand, I liked "Ask Venus" quite a lot, but much of the time I had to guess what you were referring to, and sometimes there was no way to work it out from context. Fair enough, in this instance, but a bit frustrating.
Since I'm quite ignorant about Superman, and really, really don't want to know too much back story, I hope I'll be able to follow the story. Clark, Lois, Lex, sure, but please keep in mind that there are people who are reading the comic because they follow authors rather than because the love the company property in question. I understand there's some coziness in making back references, and don't suggest not including them; I just don't want to feel too much on the margins.
You make good points, Brian. I'm not fond of stifling continuity myself. I count the Venus story as a bit of an exception, since it was just a fun back-up. The only thing you need to know about Lex Luthor, for example, is that during the recent 'Blackest Night' crossover, he briefly gained vast powers and fought alongside the heroes to save the world. (We flash back to that for, I think, two panels.) Our new story is that the nature of the power he had and lost has left him desperately missing it. That's it for links to the past. The villains he encounters along the way are all DC classics, but we're taking care to offer some in-dialogue introductions to them. I think sometimes the problem is a reader doesn't know what's new and just *feels* they're missing something. We hope that won't be a problem here.
Paul, thanks for the reply. There's another side to this issue, of course, which is that it can be fun to be tossed in in medias res, where there's lots of background you have to work out from context and will never entirely know. It's more like real life, and anyway, spelling out things can be deadly.
In Captain Britain that tended to work rather well. I made some attempt to catch up via Wikipedia, but it just confirmed my impression that I didn't want to know -- that the back stories you were referring to were much poorer than the story you were telling, and less resonant than what one might imagine on the terms of your own story.
So a bit of that's okay. It's just that comics today seems to carry around past stories on its back like a laundry bag of used socks. I know there are people who like that kind of thing, but it seems to me cargo cult story telling -- a fantasy that if everything is crammed into one giant narrative, and you can't throw away the stuff that didn't work, it's somehow more real, and that's all that matters. Personally, I find it mostly effective at defining who's in the readership group and who isn't.
Unless you're a real anorak-wearer, Doctor Who works quite differently, I think. Yes, there are about half a dozen stories each with the Doctor on Atlantis or the Titanic, but you can enjoy knowing all that without the need to rationalize it. (And good luck if you tried to ...) Something like one of my favorite movies, the Bogart/Bacall Big Sleep. It's about style and feeling, not a tedious kind of literalism, and you believe because it is absurd.
I think the breath of fresh air at DC at the moment feels like what you're after. Geoff Johns' first issue of The Flash was incredibly new reader friendly. It's about character character character, and not about continuity.
Well, if DC put you on contract, Paul, evidently they are serious about focusing on character. There's no better choice.
Thanks very much.