By Greg Pak
Comic Book Resources’s Jeffrey Renaud recently interviewed writers Scott Lobdell, Andy Diggle, Scott Snyder, and yours truly about Superman.
Read Part I
Read Part II
The kind folks at the Robot 6 blog then picked this up as their Quote of the Day:

“What makes it compelling as a story and a character is his tremendous backstory, which sets up the character as someone who is different than everybody, but striving to help. That sense of somebody that is an ‘other,’ someone who doesn’t belong but is doing his best to do the right thing all of the time. That’s incredibly compelling and universal. All of us, no matter how much we feel complete, sometimes feel like we’re on the outside, feel like we’re alone, feel like we’re strange and different. That’s why the Harry Potter books and movies are so popular. That’s why the X-Men are so popular. That’s why just about every pop culture phenomenon you can think of is so popular.
It’s amazing how many of the stories we love to cherish explore that sense of being different. That’s a universal human condition. And the reason Superman, in particular, is so compelling is because he’s on the outside, yet he’s doing his best to help everybody. That moral core of the character is something that we all, deep down, want to aspire towards. It’s that struggle to do the right thing that is really compelling. And it’s not easy for him. I think that’s another thing that great Superman writers have explored over the years. This is a guy that — everything should be easy for him because he’s Superman and he can do anything, but he is still in a constant struggle to figure out what the right thing to do is and how to do it.”
– Greg Pak, writer of DC’s upcoming Batman/Superman series, explaining to Comic Book Resources what makes the Man of Steel such a compelling character

The “Batman/Superman” book I’m writing and Jae Lee is drawing starts in June. Please ask your local store to pre-order a copy for you today!

By Greg Pak
A bunch of nice folks have interviewed me about the new “Batman/Superman” book I’m writing. Here are a few excerpts:

CBN: You are working with two iconic characters and at the historic moment of their first meeting. What will this first encounter have over other versions told in the past?
Greg Pak: The great thing about telling this story at this specific point in time is that we’re dealing with the Batman and Superman of the New 52 at a very early stage in their careers. They’re young and raw and cocky and, frankly, dangerous. We’ve seen great writers in the past depict their relationship as wary and guarded — that great Byrne story in which Batman makes a kind of crazy bomb threat is a prime example. But these young heroes are even more unpredictable. In particular, the young New 52 Superman is much cockier and more rash than any other Superman I can recall. Throw him together with Batman and sparks are absolutely going to fly.
—Byron Brewer, Cosmic Book News
CA: What does influence your take on those characters? Who influences your take on them as a team?
GP: Definitely, the Morrison Action series is key for me. That’s the series that has defined the young Clark and the young Superman in the New 52, so that’s a very important touchstone. One of my big early jobs in comics was Phoenix: Endsong, which really relied a lot on the Joss Whedon run, but also the Morrison run, so I have a lot of respect for Grant Morrison. It’s always fun working on a project when I get to read a lot of Morrison books for reference.
But that’s a very interesting version of Superman, because he’s young and he is figuring things out, and he’s brash in a very interesting way. He’s the young idealist, but he’s got a bit of swag, which is interesting. It’s distinct from the older, more mature Superman, who’s got a little more gravitas. He’s a little more considerate of others. The young Superman has a little more attitude, which is fun, and totally makes sense, and it’s appropriate for this character. I think that’s a very interesting character to use as a foil for Batman.
For Batman, I think Batman: Year One is a big influence, probably on everyone who’s written Batman ever since. But definitely because I’m looking at Batman in his early years, that’s not just one of the best Batman comics ever, but one of the best comics I’ve ever read in my life. It’s certainly a book I look at a lot. The Scott Snyder books are amazing, and he’s been a dream to talk with. He’s a great guy, and it’s been a lot of fun talking about these characters with him.
— Chris Sims, Comics Alliance
Pak feels that Superman’s appeal as a cultural mainstay since 1938 is the same as what’s behind the popularity of Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the X-Men.
“They’re all about outsiders,” the writer says. “As you grow up, you try to find your place in the world and you don’t belong and you struggle, and that’s the story of our lives, at least our adolescence.
“When you combine that with somebody who chooses to help, that becomes very powerful.”
That he always sticks up for the underdog is another attractive quality to Pak.
“We want to be that strong and do the right thing and rise to the occasion. Superman gives us that kind of hope,” he says. “And then also he can smash whatever he wants to smash and he can set things on fire with his eyes. That’s pretty cool.”
— Brian Truitt, USA Today

DC Comics has released the cover to “Batman/Superman” #1, drawn by Jae Lee and colored by June Chung. Official solicit information below — the book hits stores in June. Ask your local retailer to pre-order it for you today!
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #1
Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by JAE LEE
1:100 B&W variant cover by JAE LEE
1:25 BATMAN variant cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
1:25 SUPERMAN variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH
“We Can Be Heroes” blank variant cover available
On sale JUNE 5 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
A new epic begins with the debut of this new, ongoing series! Don’t miss the first fateful meeting of Batman and Superman in The New 52!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue