Superman: Birthright - Waid Diagrams The Path Of An
Icon
Posted: Monday, May
26, 2003
By: Tim O'Shea
Mark Waid has a deep and abiding
respect for Superman. He has a high opinion for the superhero genre
in general, but there’s clearly a special place in his creative
heart and mind for the Man of Steel. And starting this July, Waid,
along with artists Leinil Yu and Gerry Alanguilan, embarks upon
Superman: Birthright, a 12-issue re-examination of the icon’s
formative years. This maxi-series also signals Waid’s return to the
DC universe. Given the story’s content and the significance of the
project to Waid, it struck us as a proper subject to interview him
about.
Tim O’Shea: While Superman: Birthright is clearly Waid/Yu's
reinterpretation of the icon, of the myriad interpretations that
have gone before are there any in particular that you can point to
and say, "I want to capture the modern day equivalent of that run."
I know the 1979 movie, of course, is a fundamental source of
inspiration for your career in general. But in terms of this
project, are there other influences?
Mark Waid:
Ideally, the best approach is to take the best of ALL eras, each of
which had something to offer--and I don't mean just the comics.
There are elements of the old radio show that still work, such as
Superman being largely mistrusted at first. The WB cartoon series
did great things with making Jor-El a man with a passion for his
world. But beyond that--and only time will tell if we succeed or
fail--the idea is to share with readers a unique, contemporary,
forward-looking vision that OTHERS will want to capture. As I've
said elsewhere, the original request from DC was to put myth first
and continuity second. Is it an "elseworlds"? Was SUPERMAN: THE
MOVIE? Was the WB cartoon? Was Superman's first "reboot" in 1945,
when Superboy was retconned into the mythos? Ultimately, all that's
important is whether or not he makes you believe a man can
fly.
TO: Yu's artistic style is quite unique--what it is about his work that so clearly impresses and
engages you?
MW: His characters are expressive and
detailed, energetic and dynamic. Leinil is also, unlike some of his
contemporaries, not afraid to draw things he's never drawn before
and won't take the easy way out when confronted with challenging
scenes.
TO: When collaborating with
an artist of his talent, the creative process is clearly give and
take. Are there certain scenes that you envisioned playing one way,
that Yu helped you to see it should play in a different
manner?
MW: Primarily, he's helped remind me that
Clark Kent is a young man with a young voice. He's also given me the
courage, with his excellent grasp of quiet moments, to curb the urge
to get Superman into costume as fast as possible. Originally, I
wanted that done by issue two; as it is, it's now issue four before
we see Kal-El in the familiar red and blue (though not issue four
before we see the familiar red and blue itself; make of THAT what
you will).
TO: I think it's safe to say that this
series would not have occurred without Dan Didio. What is it about
Didio's approach to the DC universe and the creative process in
general that won you back?
MW: Dan's greatest strength
and probably his most attractive quality, as creative business types
go, is that he's a Weeble. He wobbles, but he won't fall down. After
years in the TV business, he's used to battling for what he believes
in, and if he's convinced something will make for a good story, a
good comic, or a better DC Comics, he'll fight for it. And if he
can't win on the merits of his case, he'll win by wearing out the
opposition with his unflagging enthusiasm. Certainly, without Dan as
Birthright's champion, it probably wouldn't have happened.
I'd been told before that I was welcome to do a Superman mini-series
or one-shot, but when Dan came to the table and said, "rebuild from
the ground up," that was a much larger--and much more
exciting--challenge.
TO: Is fame/success in the comics
world sometimes more a curse than a blessing? It seems more people
are ready to nitpick the nature of your work because of who you are,
and hold you to a higher standard than they would a typical
writer.
MW: That, in its way, is a nice thing to say,
and thank you. Honestly, every morning of my life, I feel a
bottom-of-the-ocean level pressure every single second of every
single day to top myself and outdo my previous script. I'm not
kidding. But I don't know how to change that, and I wish I did. I
could probably add five years to my life.
TO: Just as many creators and readers have a unique
vision of Superman, what is your vision of Metropolis? What makes
that city different than Gotham, Keystone City and other DC towns
(other than they don't have Superman)?
MW: I think of
Metropolis, even moreso than New York City, as the world's greatest
melting pot of cultures. With that in mind, it should come as no
shock that Superman, the ultimate immigrant, would gravitate towards
it.
TO: Is there room in these 12 issues for Batman or
other super guest stars to pop up?
MW: Nope. We're not
denying the existence of other super-heroes, but it's Superman's
story.
TO: That being said, you're a man with an
abundance of ideas about the icon that is Superman. I assume there
were some elements that could not fit into the 12 issues. Did
anything end up on the "cutting room floor" so to
speak?
MW: Yeah. At one point, everything. When I
first put together an in-depth outline back in April of 2002, the
entire plot of Birthright revolved around Kal-El's ship
becoming sentient, speaking with the voice of Jor-El, and evolving
into a villainous presence. True story. Luckily, at some point, I
had the presence of mind to call Smallville's newest
producer, Jeph Loeb, who couldn't tell me specifically what they
WERE doing on Smallville in Season Two but COULD warn me what
NOT to do. Talk about being put in a creative tailspin! Jesus.
Fortunately, once Didio and others talked me off the ledge, I was
able to come up with (as it always happens, of course--damn you,
creative process!) a much better story, so it was a blessing in
disguise. Y'know, except for how much I spent at the liquor store
that month.
TO: Other than clearly Superman/Kent, who
is the most important character to the story?
MW: Lex
Luthor--in part because of the time he spent in Smallville as a
younger man. (Surprise.) Perry White's turning out to be a key
player, as well. He's actually asserting control over his scenes and
writing himself. My hand to God, I was genuinely shocked when he
turned Clark down for a job at the Planet.
TO: Will
you have written Superman out of your system after this maxiseries?
Or could you be persuaded to write him more (be it in one of the
ongoing monthlies or could a regular series spin out of this
maxi)?
MW: If this is successful and if it comes
together, I could probably write about this Superman for a long,
long time. But we'll just have to see how it goes. That decision's
not in my hands yet.
