How Do Mark Waid and Joshua Williamson Feel About Dan Slott Joining Superman?
- CBCCPodcast
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
We asked the longtime Superman writers about adding Dan Slott to the Super Family. Do they all play nice?
Welcome to Creator Corner, our recurring interview series in which we chat with the industry's coolest and most thought-provoking creators. In this entry, we're discussing Summer of Superman with Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, and Dan Slott.
As we inch closer to Superman Day on April 18th, it's hard to think about anything other than the Man of Steel. We're a little obsessed at the moment, and the impending release of James Gunn's film on July 11th has many other people on this planet in a similar fixation. Naturally, DC will stoke and maintain our preoccupation with a hefty 2025 Superman slate, which properly kicks into overdrive this Wednesday with the Summer of Superman Special, written by Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, and Dan Slott and illustrated by Jorge Jiménez.
The Summer of Superman Special tells three stories as they play out across the Wedding of Lana Lang and John Henry Irons (aka Steel). They allow each writer to showcase what they do best and what they'll be offering in their three ongoing titles: Action Comics (Waid), Superman (Williamson), and Superman Unlimited (Slott). It's a hearty matrimonial adventure, digging into Clark Kent's past and revealing a few clues about his near future.
Beyond taking advantage of our current Superman obsession, why should readers subscribe to all three ongoings? What does each one offer that the others don't? We're going to get into the weeds with those answers, but before we do, we should ask an even tougher question - how do Mark Waid and Joshua Williamson feel about longtime Marvel scribe Dan Slott joining their Superman Family?
Joshua Willaimson first acknowledges a longer, more established history with Waid. "Well," he says, "Mark and I have known each other for a bit, and Mark knows that I've been a very big fan of Mark's work for a long time. So, he and I definitely have...I'll say a connection. Mark, do you think that's fair?"
Mark responds quickly in affirmation, "Yeah, fair. And, of course, I worked with Dan for a lot of years at Marvel, doing Spider-Man stuff, so I appreciate how much planning and thought he puts into this stuff, and I think it shows in the work."
Williamson continues the Slott lovefest. "That's the thing," he says. "I'm a big fan of Dan's work from Spider-Man and Arkham Asylum: Living Hell. I didn't know Dan at all. I really met him for the first time through this process. Maybe I met him at conventions, but he's just very excited and brings a lot of enthusiasm to what we're doing. It's been fun."
Talking with Dan Slott about Superman is like talking to your child self after they've just discovered superhero stories. He's not just giddy; he's physically shaking with excitement over his new toys. His Superman Unlimited is essential, especially for anyone looking to extend their enthusiasm for the upcoming movie.
"If you're someone who runs out and sees the new Superman movie," says Slott," and you feel all jazzed about Superman. Maybe you haven't been reading DC for a while, or you haven't read comics for a while, if you've never read a comic book before in your life, and you love Superman, Superman Unlimited is a great jumping-on point. It's a place where, every month, you get a good done-in-one or two-part story. You're going to get your Superman, your Lois, your Krypto, your Jonathan Kent."
Williamson promises that his Superman will pay off the promises made by the All-In Special, which he co-wrote with Scott Snyder. Superman is where the DC reader goes if they want to remain connected to the larger stories pulsating throughout the entire publishing line.
"On the Superman title that I'm writing," he says, "I'm headlining the big picture/event stuff coming up in the DCU. That's a lot of my focus. A lot of the plot, we carry over from the All-In Special. So, if you're looking for what is going on with the really big Uber All-In stuff with Darkseid and the Legion, that's what my book will have. The stuff like, "Where's Booster?" Getting a little spoilers here, but obviously, that's going to be the main crux of my book right now."
With Action Comics, Mark Waid returns to the early days, the Superboy days. He feels there is tremendous value in re-exploring Clark's youth before there was a Superman, when there was just Clark and his parents, the Kents.
"Action Comics is a look back at how we built the Superman identity," says Waid. "How Ma and Pa and Clark built it from scratch. It happens on a day when Clark is much further away from being Superboy than he planned or the Kents planned. They have some time because they haven't figured everything out yet, but as circumstances dictate, he turns into Superboy much sooner than anticipated. They haven't figured out the secret identity; they don't know all the powers. They haven't figured out any of this stuff."
Dan Slott is as eager for Mark Waid's Action Comics as anyone else. He jumps into the conversation, hyping up his collaborator. "There's something fresh and new about Mark's book," he says. "We haven't seen Clark as Superboy in so long. It's wonderful to be able to pick up Action and read this."
Waid continues Slott's thought, "And even when we have, he's always just been a short Superman. There are very few stories where Superboy is actually learning and growing and failing and so forth."
Williamson wrote a brief moment with Superboy during last year's Absolute Power event. He recalls texting Waid, confirming something that seemed impossible.
"Mark and I were texting," says Williamson, "and I was surprised by the lack, at least currently, of villains for Superboy. That's something we have to explore because we have not seen it. So, it's awesome to read what Mark is doing. That first issue is really good."
All the Superboy talk got us craving the Legion of Super-Heroes. What is the chance that Mark Waid will set up those characters in Action Comics for Joshua Williamson to play with in Superman?
"If that happens, that happens," says Waid. "They've been a big part of Superman's legend for a long time, but for now, let's concentrate on Josh's take on this stuff, and we will go from there."
"There's a lot of Legion stuff coming to us," says Williamson. "Obviously. Yeah. Next question."
Summer of Superman Special arrives in comic book shops on Wednesday, April 18th. Please keep returning to Comic Book Couples Counseling all week, as we'll have plenty more from this conversation with Mark Waid, Joshua Williamson, and Dan Slott. Plus, there are some more surprises.
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