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

Big news! I’m writing a new ongoing “Batman/Superman” comic book for DC Comics! The book will be illustrated by the great Jae Lee (check out some concept art above) and the first story arc will show the very first meeting of Superman and Batman in the new DC Universe.
From the Newsarama interview:

The huge attraction of this story to me is the chance to explore who these characters are in their very early, raw years. So this story begins around the time of Morrison’s Action #1, when both of these men are young and wild and dangerous. Anything can happen. They’ve never even heard of each other before – never even heard the word “superhero.”
So how will Clark react the first time he sees an insanely dangerous combatant dressed like a giant bat? And how will Bruce react at the sight of an alien with the power to bend steel in his bare hands? It’s a hugely fun place to dive in with these characters.

From the Comic Book Resources interview:

…both of the characters have been important to me at different times of my life, and the chance to work with them today — particularly telling this story — is tremendous.

From the USA Today interview:

The atmosphere and strong image depth of Lee’s drawing style — colored by his wife — is key for a series like Batman/Superman “where you’ve got these two complementary and contradictory figures who are coming from two very different places,” Pak says.
“The idea of Jae Lee drawing Batman is sort of a no-brainer. That makes total sense. (But) he’s doing some cool new stuff and when you put these two characters together, they’ve got different palettes and environments.”