NYCC09: Day 1 - Johns/Manapul on Adventure!

Notes from Day 1 of the New York Comic Con...

DC Nation, via CBR:

Q: Where can we see Bart Allen next?
Geoff Johns: He'll be in "Legion of 3 Worlds" and in "The Flash: Rebirth."

Lightning round:
Bigger commitment to the Legion in 2009? Yes.

Via Newsarama:

DiDio then brought a fan in a Kid Flash outfit up to the dais to pose for a picture with George Perez. The fan asked about the future of Bart Allen: "He'll be in the 31st century in Legion of Three Worlds," said Johns, adding that he'll be back in the Flash universe as of Flash: Rebirth.

Superman - Building a Better Tomorrow, via CBR

In the main Superman books, you're going to see Guardian, Supergirl, Mon-El and Zatara -- "Who is a little SHIT," Robinson remarked. "There'll be a lot of interesting plot threads and character beats. Mon-El has his own personal arc that you'll see is almost tragic. I think you'll be thrilled with that. And the Guardian will be searching for his humanity as they deal with things spilling over from 'New Krypton.'"

Johns next talked about 'Adventure Comics,' the Legion book that will launch in June with Francis Manupal on art. "It's a book that spins out of 'Legion of 3 Worlds,' and obviously Starman's there. If anyone's reading 'JSA,' he's taking a central lead in the book. Francis taking his work in a whole direction, it's just stunning." The book will feature painted artwork.

- Which book should we follow for more on the Luthor sibling? "Legion of 3 Worlds," said Johns.

- Is" Adventure" taking place in the present or the future? A little of both.

- What's the format of "Adventure Comics?" "There's going to be a lead character in Adventure Comics" was all Johns could reveal.

- How much of a role does Superman play in "Adventure Comics?" "He's in it, but he's not the lead character in it," Johns said. "His presence is felt. It's definitely a Superman Family book."

Via Newsarama:

Moving to a slide of an upcoming issue of Superman showing The Guardian, Robinson said that while Superman is off planet, it will take more than one hero to protect Metropolis, and listed Mon-el, Steel, Zatara, and Black Lightning as some of the other protectors that readers will see. Describing Mon-el as a “goofy good guy,” Robinson said that his arc will be somewhat tragic as his clock ticks down on his time on earth; while the Guardian’s overarching arc will be about him trying to find his humanity.

...Next up was a slide of Adventure Comics, which Johns said that he will be launching in June with Francis Manapul. The cover, Johns noted, shows two shadows “One’s good and one’s bad,” Johns said. The cover also shows Starman, and Johns said that this is the series that spins out of Legion of 3 Worlds. Robinson pointed out that the cover is fully representative of the interior artwork.

Following the slides, Johns said that Superman: Secret Origin is due out in summer, and will focus on the stories of Superboy, Bizarro, Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, the Parasite and the Legion, among others.

...Asked about the tease of the idea of a sibling to Lex Luthor, Johns said to continue reading Legion of 3 Worlds.

Asked if readers will see Supergirl interacting with heroes of her own age, Gates and Igle said that there will be more coming up, but she has a lot of things going on. The same audience member then thanked them for hints about Conner Kent returning (as seen in this week’s Adventure Comics #0), and said that he hoped to return next year to thank them for a full return of the character.

...Asked if there are plans for older Kryptonian characters such as – Tor-am, Dev-Em, Jax-ur, and Ak-va r– Rucka, who completed the list of Kryptonians with Johns said, “Oh yeah. You notice how we have those names on the tips of our tongues?” Rucka asked. “Like we might be talking about them a lot?”

...Adventure Comics will be set in both present day and the Legion’s time, according to Johns. “And maybe a third time,” the writer added.

...Asked about the format of Adventure Comics, Johns said that there will be a lead in the series, but many characters will appear in the series as well.

Here's the upcoming cover to Adventure Comics v3 #0 with the good guy and bad guy blacked out.