PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[Vordan]

Hey Phillip thanks for coming out and answering questions!

How do you manage to keep the core of Superman relevant when taking him away from everything of the last few years? IE Earth, Lois, Jon

Also will we get a Warworld source book?

Heh, a Warworld sourcebook would be insanely fun, but MAN the Last God one took an unthinkable amount of work. Even some of the backmatter bits in the Last God issues took as long to write as the issues themselves, and that Sourcebook took so much, but god it was so rewarding.

I think we're actually exploring Superman's core MOST directly on Warworld, and my new take on Mongul is meant to be the exact antithesis of Superman, diametrically opposed to "Truth and Justice," or his original tagline of "Champion of the Oppressed." Mongul is the OPPRESSOR, first and foremost, and he rules an entire world that represents "Lies and Oppression." His slaves are controlled not just by the chains they've been taught to value and cherish, but by the flood of lies and propaganda that they're bombarded with everyday. To the kids in the story, Mongul is their Superman, and there are millions like them. How do you fight an enemy like that? It's a question that's super relevant right now in my opinion, and we need to see how the human ideal that is Superman deals with it.

God I love everything about this.

Hello, Phillip. Thanks for doing this. I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of your work, yet, but I'm still wondering if there are certain writers, comics or otherwise, that you take inspiration from or enjoy reading?

My pleasure! A few of my inspirations in comics are Mike Mignola, Ed Brubaker, Neil Gaiman, Scott Snyder, Jeff Lemire, David Lapham, Rick Remender, Jonathan Hickman, Emil Ferris. In prose, Cormac McCarthy, Elmore Leonard. In film, Guillermo Del Toro, Ridley Scott. In music, Stravinsky, Mingus.

Hey Phillip, huge fan of all your work at DC. Your run on Action Comics sparked an admiration for Superman that has otherwise been missing in me for a while. Thanks for coming here and doing this!

My question: With the addition of the Phaelosians on Warworld and the future descendants of the House of El, carrying on the legacy of Krypton seems to be at the forefront of your storytelling. Is expanding Superman’s lore an important part to your overall narrative and will Future State plot elements make their way into main continuity?

I'm HOPEFUL that every little thing that gets mentioned in Worlds of War and House of El gets addressed in my run, even the little fables from the Superman Memorial in Rocket Field. And Pyrrhos and Circe, as well.

Expanding his lore, building up Metropolis and Warworld, and building a couple new corners of the DC Universe while we're at it were definitely all on the list. Many thanks for reading!

Hi! Really loving your Action Comics, and I'll take as much of it as I can get, so:

1. ⁠How long do you expect to stay on the book?
2. ⁠How long would you like to write AC, or Superman in general?

There's no talk of me leaving anytime soon, and right now my feeling is that I would love to write the book as long as they let me. I have SUCH a clear vision of who Superman is and I want to keep putting that out into the world, as long as people want to read it. Maybe the day will come that I feel like I've said everything I want to say on Superman, but I can't yet imagine that. Greatest honor and pleasure, especially since my young son is such a fan himself.

Hi Phillip. What's your approach to writing the Authority been? Did you look at their previous comics much? Do you have much planned for them going forward?

Hey! I just read through the original series to get a sense of the tone, but I drew most of my cues from Grant's miniseries. I loved the voices he gave the characters, and I didn't want to give the readers any major pivots in those voices. They all have their role to play on Warworld, but it is primarily Superman's journey, and the new characters matter a lot too, so there are a lot of narrative balls to juggle in the series.

Hi! Which character were you most surprised to write? Whether it be a character that was reintroduced after being dead, or taken by other writer, or simply surprised you got to feature and enjoyed more than expected?

I feel like Clark is a big hope for many authors and getting to do Action comics must be a dream come true!

Thanks for doing the AMA!

Thanks so much! I thought Midnighter and Apollo might be difficult to write, but man do I love it. Last time I got a question like this I think my answer was Manchester Black, 'cause he's also SUPER fun, but there's an upcoming issue with a TON of Midnighter and writing him is just a savage joy.

Hey Philip, your action comics run is one of the best things to happen to superman comics and stories in a long time. Also, what's it like to work with Riccardo Federici?

Thanks so much for the kind words!

Simply put, Riccardo is a genius. He's like one of the old Dutch masters teleported here Booster Gold-style to become a comics superstar. It's INSANE what he's capable of.

I always, always try to write to my artists' strengths and styles, and for Riccardo that's 1) creature design, 2) design of ANY kind honestly, and 3) Frank Frazetta-style badassery. He proved all that on The Last God, and he was my #1 pick on the planet for this run. I LOVE Riccardo, and we have an amazing working relationship.

[Vordan]

What title would you most want to write for DC that you haven't yet? What about for Marvel?

I'm using this information purely for speculation purposes if those jobs ever come open.

See above! And add Hellblazer to the list, I don't know what I was thinking. I've read every word of Hellblazer ever, and while I don't love EVERY take, the best ones are some of my favorite comics ever.

I also have a WWII superhero Nazi kill squad book I want to do, sitting fully-formed in my brain. Nazis are nature's perfect villain, even better than zombies, robots or any damn thing.

Hi Phillip, I'm absolutely loving how the Warworld Saga's coming along. It's shaping up to be an absolute all-timer story for Superman. Especially looking forward to seeing you guys inevitably bring back the classic image of Superman breaking chains, only now on a planetary scale!

What was it like working alongside Grant Morrison in ushering in this new era for the character? Did you have much contact with them, or were you mostly working separately and simply picked up the baton from what they established in Superman and the Authority?

What was your process in creating the future generations of House of El? How likely is it that they'll see even further expansion later down the line?

Unrelated, but thank you for finally sorting out the Superman trunks debate by making it the only aspect of his costume he still wears. This is a compromise I think will satisfy all readers equally.

Thanks my friend! Most of your questions are answered above, I hope they satisfy you. I did have a good bit of contact with Grant, and still occasionally shoot them a question about one of the Authority characters or a thread they left for me to explore, but while SatA was still underway, we had a good bit of contact.

Hello Phillip!

I just recently finished reading Jeff Lemire's run on Animal Man so I re-read your story in Dog Days of Summer. I feel like the universe guided me to ask you about that lol

What inspired you to tell this story with Buddy's internal conflict and the protection of his family?

Also, do you have any ideas on where Animal Man could go in the future? (I have lots but I bet your thoughts are better ha ha)

Thanks!

That Lemire run really transformed my take on Animal Man. Love that run, love the character.

That story captured some protective feelings I was having at the time, and given the nature of the character and the theme of the book, I also wanted to have an animalistic theme at the center, something savage but beautiful. The theme of "protect your pack at all costs" sorta chose itself. And that place is one I've actually been to. There aren't quasi-humanoid man-eating beasties under the water to my knowledge, but it's a cool place. And I hate how few human ruins or relics still exist down there.

Which one do you prefer:

In terms of Flashes, Wally or Barry?

In term of girlfriends for Dick, Barbara or Starfire?

In terms of Batgirls, Barbara, Cassandra or Stephanie?

"It's a trap!"

Barbara WAS Batgirl for me growing up and I think she's awesome. I actually got to write an inventory Batgirl issue a few years ago when I was just barely breaking into DC. I have to vote for her in any kind of matchup.

For those who don't know, an "inventory" issue is essentially a fill-in issue that DC keeps on hand in case something happens with a creative team and a book falls off-schedule. I wrote a Batgirl like that. I'm still super proud of it and would love to see it released, but if there's never a need I guess it might stay in ""THE VAULT""

Hi Phillip, thanks for joining us here!

How do you see Clark growing as a character when he returns from Warworld? And I hope the answer isn't "if" he returns! 😀

Urrrrgh man, what can I say here without massive spoilers...

I think letting Jon go into space with Jor-El, and the time they lost together as a result, will always deeply haunt him. We'll see him dealing with that, and how that decision impacts his decision-making in the future, and the future of the Super-family.

G.I.JOE of interest to you to write?

Heh, honestly I'm probably not the writer for that series. I WANTED to watch the show growing up, but wasn't allowed to, so I don't have much of a feel for what it's supposed to be. And now that I'm actually IN the Army, without having the GI Joe background as a kid, it feels a little "...what is this weirdness"

Sci-fi and ninja pretty much.

Yeah, I really wish I'd been allowed to dig into it as a kid, like I reeeeeally wanted to. "It's too late for me, my son"

Great having you here, always good to see a writer do an AMA, espceially one who's work I'm enjoying. I have three questions for you:

1. ⁠Superman and the Authority had a few hints to ideas of plots that haven't been seen yet, and there are two I'm interested in if you have any plans to follow up on. The first is the fact that SOMETHING is up with Kryptonite and Earth, something that makes it unwise for Clark or Supergirl to stay on the planet. The second is the Sourcewall chunk saying "Lightray Is". I understand if you can't answer, but if you can, even a simple yes or no would be ok.
2. ⁠Are there any DC characters you haven't gotten to write yet that you want to?
3. ⁠Do you have any opinions about the obsecure superhero team the Super Young Team?

1. ⁠I have decisive plans for ONE of those two plot points, and would love to address them both if possible. Grant had very clear ideas about one of them, and it's a very Grant thing, and I don't want to touch it until I'm sure we're gonna stick the landing 'cause it's a big swing.
2. ⁠Constantine, first and foremost. Also LOVE Red Hood, and have so far only written him in an alternate reality thing. Spectre and Deadman are also metal af

I bet it’s the Kryptonite plot point. Think Morrison said they just sorta threw the “Lightray IS” plot point out there.

Hi Phillip, glad you could join us!

What would you say is the main difference between writing superhero comics (like with Action Comics) and writing other types of licensed work (like with Alien)?

Hm. That's a great question.

It's just a matter of taping into different things that I love and expressing them as clearly as I can. I love both Superman and Alien, and therefore I think I know what readers want from both of those experiences. Alien should be UPSETTING, in a body horror way but with this gross, invasive quality, plus added layers of corporate villainy, android vs. organic life dynamics, etc. With Superman, I want readers to feel like a million bucks. I want you to hear triumphant, heroic music as you see our greatest hero face threats that NO ONE could beat, get up every time even when it doesn't make sense to, make the decisions we want to be capable of ourselves so we can get those chills and feel like "YES I want to BE that."

I guess what I'm trying to say is, every license and original story has its own CORE to it that should be chased on every page. It's not just superhero vs other, it's "who is this character, what should the reading experience be, and how do we deliver on expectations while also giving them something new and unexpected."

Hi! Firstly, I love how you include tidbits about Midnighter that aren´t brought up often, like Harmony, Indiana. It feels very fresh! But my questions are

1. ⁠Is there anything you want or aim to include or bring up while writing Midnighter, as an easter egg of sorts? and
2. ⁠What´s your approach on writing Apollo (+ Midnighter and Apollo´s relationship) ?

Those two are my definite #1 favorite DC characters and having them actively appear in comics is huge

It's hard to put into words how to approach those guys. Apollo really looks up to Superman, is super inspired by his example, but is also a bit less constrained by his rules. He tries to help Midnighter be better than he is, and is sometimes frustrated by him, but that's tempered by their years together and affection for each other. Midnighter is just HARDCORE AF, and I LOVE writing his harsh dialogue when speaking to enemies or people he doesn't respect much, but also when he speaks to Apollo or Superman. He treats different people very differently based on whether or not they've earned his respect and whether he regards them as an enemy. He's also more of an adrenaline junky than Batman, really embraces/revels in the violence while Batman is much more calculated, has much more control over himself.

Hi Phillip,

Loving your work on Action Comics!

Could be me just reading too much into it, but is the current Warworld Arc supposed to parallel the story of Exodus? I've noticed a lot of similarities, and given that Superman was created as a Moses allegory is makes a lot of sense.

If this is true, how do you see Biblical inspiration reflecting in the work? How do you reckon with implementing that in the DC Universe?

Bllllrrrrrrrggggghh I shouldn't talk about it yet no comment

But I WILL say that, if you see parallels with stuff like that, please don't read any pro- or anti-religious propaganda into it (and I'm sure you're not, this is just an unsolicited comment from me), because there's none of that. I've seen "PKJ is celebrating Christianity with this run!" and also a DM from an old acquaintance that read "You're plagiarizing the Bible and your immortal soul is in danger if you don't shut this **** down right now." Even if you DO see some parallels come up at some point, I'm not making any kind of statement on religion. Superman DOES part the seas in Action 1033 or 1034, and you might see other stuff like that in the future. But there are no hidden agendas in the run about religion.

[Vordan]

I was first introduced to your work through The Last God and have loved everything I've read by you since, especially your current Superman run. It's absolutely fantastic and probably my favorite series from DC at the moment.

My question is: Is there any possibility of seeing some sort of family tree of all the characters in House of El? I'm really curious to see what the exact relation of each character is in the El family. How many women Clark formed a bond with after Lois passed? Stuff like that.

I do HAVE a family tree like that, and I'd love to show it, but the thing is: other writers are going to come along after me and make changes of their own to suit the story they're telling, and they won't feel beholden to any law I lay down in my run. As soon as they make a change, the whole family tree becomes bullshit, and then House of El is an Elseworlds thing. But if I let the House of El just be what it is, with open-ended possibilities of who might be who's descendant or ancestor, fans can all have the version of Superman's history that they want to believe.

Hey there Phillip, thanks for doing this. I have only a couple of questions.

My first question is what minor or obscure DC characters that hasn't really been in the spotlight would you do a run for?

Also, what DC hero or villain do you think is due or would like to see an expansion of their lore or backstory?

You've been doing absolute fantastic work with Superman, Mongol, and Warworld. I really hope you have future DC projects in the works, your work on Action is fantastic!

1. ⁠Ventriloquist, Spectre, Deadman
2. ⁠Mongul, honestly. But now that we're DOING that one... hurm. There's a nobody Batman villain named Cornelius Stirk that I think could be cool if fleshed out properly.

My other answers, although not exactly what you asked for, are: the Atlanteans, and practically all the DC cities aside from Gotham. I'd like to see each city/region get its own personality that's super distinct. Obviously at some point that get tricky because there are a LOT, they can't all be Gotham or Atlantis or Wakanda or whatever.

What's your favorite part of writing?

The beginning stages, when you're just reading other awesome work and trying to think up your own awesome ideas. It's the best.

BUT for anyone trying your OWN hand at writing, DO NOT give up after that part is over, because that's what usually happens. FINISH YOUR WORK, even if it completely sucks. You can revise a Complete Piece of ****, and revise it again, and keep revising until it's amazing. You CAN'T revise Nothing, so always finish the story.

Hey Phillip, I just want to say I’m really enjoying the writing for Superman and Alien. I hope it isn’t too long before Clark regains his old strength (at least I hope he regains it). Btw, Alien Issue 6. The cat. I really hope they saved the cat.

Thanks so much!

Re Alien 6: Heh. Um...

You are welcome to that interpretation, and I would also enjoy it if the cat survived.

Thank you for doing this! I was just wondering if you could talk about how coordinated DC has been as of late? Are writers all in the know about big upcoming events like Death of the Justice League?

I can't speak for everyone, but I talk to Josh, Tom, Steph, Ram, etc. on the regular

Do you have any story plans for Connor in the near Future? If Clark will be absent after Death of The Justice League, I'd love to see Connor step up.

No comment yet on DofJL, but I do hope to use Conner in the future, and have a specific way I'd like to do that.

Who's your favorite Green Lantern? Who's your Flash, Wally or Barry? Any other favorite characters people may not know about

Man. That is a really hard one. Hal's the one I grew up with and he's still the default I see in my head, but I really like John's approach. He's this ultimate tactician, but he's not just the "ex-marine" we see him boiled down to all the time, he's also an architect. And he has a mother and sister that, in MY mind, he's SUPER protective of, because he never ever talks about them, not even to his world's greatest heroes.

And Kyle, I love that he's a comic artist. To me he represents unbound creativity as well as will, making him kind of the ideal Lantern

Heya, thanks for your time! I'm sure you're super busy so I'll try to be brief!

1. ⁠How long before release do you typically have your scripts finished?
2. ⁠How do you feel the monthly format limits the scope of War World Saga?

DC's been really great giving me the space to tell a Warworld story that really fleshes out that world, makes it a real place that we'll be able to mine stories in for generations to come. I don't feel limited by the monthlies at all, because we're getting plenty of chapters. The cliffhangers kinda proper the story forward, the way the page turns do on a much smaller scale.

Hi Philip! Just wanted to say thank you for writing some of the best Superman I’ve ever read. Besides Mongul is there a villain you would like to do an arc of Action Comics around?

Heh, yeah. One I can't say yet.

I think Metallo is really cool, and I'd like to know more about him as a PERSON, not just his awesome physical design.

I also think Toyman is often pretty lame, and it would be cool to finally make him legit. Apologies to any Toyman stans out there, but that dude brings out an instant eyeroll in me and I kinda hate that. I want such a common Superman foil to be cool, not a joke.

Yesss I was hoping he’d take an interest in Metallo! He has a military background just like Corben, I think he could have a lot to say about Metallo (and hopefully revamp him into being competent like he has Mongul)

[Vordan]

If you could write a DC/Marvel crossover book which characters would it be about?

Doctor Strange and Hellblazer. Strange is super powerful, all about doing what he can to help people and save the world and all that, but is also a creature of ego and flash. Hellblazer also has great power, but great disdain for it too. He's a blue collar Liverpool man who thinks magicians are blowhards and douchebags, and will NEVER use flashy magic when a lie and a little trickery or sleight of hand will do. They would totally hate each other, and I think that would be a really fun book.

Your work on Superman is spectacular and god damn am I lucky to be reading it in real time. I’m really curious, how many issues of The Warworld Saga do you have mapped out? Has there been any conflict yet with the JL editors about the shake up there this summer?

Heh, I shouldn't say yet. Plus it depends on what you will later define as the Warworld Saga. There's a mini-arc happening now by that name, but I'm hopeful that the eventual Big Volume will also contain Warworld Rising and the thing that comes after this mini arc.

Hello. I've been loving Warworld, it feels like it's bringing Superman back to his Edgar Rice Burroughs and John Carter roots in a way that's incredibly unique. With that in mind I'm really curious what sort of works inspired you when you started to work on this world and its culture and aesthetic?

Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Frank Herbert, Ursula K Le Guin. Tolkien is always a touchstone, but I didn't draw on his work directly for this series.

Hey Phillip, i wanna now how exactly Apollo's powers are working in Warworld, he's supposed to obtain his powers from the yellow sun, and he looks pretty normal in comparison with supes and considering that there's a red sun. Like how he healed so perfectly or how he keeps that whole yellow aura around him

He ain't normal at aaaaaalll right now. Shouldn't spoil it yet though

Just started reading the Warworld Saga,

1. ⁠It seems that the first arc ended at the same time the "Death of the Justice League" is released, though it might still be in the far future. Will you write some tie-ins or have your run affected that month? 1b. How many "arcs" do you intend to write for the Warworld saga.
2. ⁠Will we see a weekly (or at least bimonthly) issues like Detective Comics is having right now?
3. ⁠Currently out of the YJ4, Tim and Cassie have some minor roles, Impulse doesn't have one right now. While Conner had one, in the Suicide Squad one-shot, do you have any plans (or at least) ideas for him?
4. ⁠Your worldbuilding is always amazing, from Last God to Action Comics. Do you have any DC comic that you wanted to write - another Green Lantern comic or maybe Justice League Odyssey would be interesting (both space-themed), or something about the New Gods.

Heh. I wish I could show you what I'm working on right now, I think you'd be stoked. Shouldn't spoil it though.

In your YJ4 question, apologies Im' not sure if you're asking about Impulse or Conner, but since I'm the Superman guy I'll assume Conner? I do have hopes and plans for Conner coming up, although probably not on Warworld.

Hey there. I hope you're well. Thanks for making Action Comics the best comic on the stands right now. I have a few questions.

1. ⁠Will we see you utilising all the other villains of Superman in the near future as well? Do you have a big plan for them?
2. ⁠Will we see Superman meet and interact with his old friends like Lana Lang, Lori Lemaris, Pete Rose etc? Will we ever see them again in your run? Do you have a plan for them as well? I really would love to see old characters like Lori Lemaris again.
3. ⁠Will we see Superman have a new suit for a special purpose for a while OR a new Armour in your story?? If yes, can you plz get Jorge Jiminez OR Dan Mora for that? Their art designs are really GREAT!

1. ⁠Maybe not ALL, but I definitely have my eye on a few. Also introducing a couple new villain soon, and allies too.
2. ⁠Someday!
3. ⁠Stay tuned!

Hey we might get another new suit!

A few questions:

One, the Mongul Clark is fighting now is technically our third Mongol (ignoring the thousands of previous Monguls), right? The first is the Bronze Age one, who gets offed in Underworld Unleashed, the second is the one who later gets recruited into the Sinestro Corps, and this it the third?

Two: Is the SATA costume going to come back after this arc? DILF Superman is the Superman we as a society need right now.

Oh, third question: Any follow-up on the 'secret of kryptonite' stuff hinted at in SATA coming any time soon?

Yes, this is the third Mongul Superman has met.

Heh, no plans for Grant/Mikel's costume to return, but I would argue that Warworld Superman is every bit what you're looking for.

Shouldn't comment on that last one yet, but many thanks for reading!

Been having a pretty good time with your run, so hoping you stick around for a while!


I've definitely been curious about whether you watched or read something that fundamentally influenced your writing style, I guess? Also, what did you consider to be the hardest piece to learn to play?

Writing style, that would probably be The Road.

On trumpet, I guess I would say... the Bohme Trumpet Concerto, maybe? Or the Maxwell Davies Sonata? Or if we're talking jazz, I've always found Giant Steps to be tricky to improvise on. The chord progression sorta moves in thirds rather than steps and fifths, and it took my ear a lot of getting used to, to hear my way through that progression.

Hey PKJ, huge fan of what's going on in your Action atm. I noticed a lot of people have asked about favorite comics, so what movies or tv shows (superhero or otherwise) have been most influential for you?

And do you have any future projects lined up at DC or Marvel?

Future projects abound! Thanks for the kind words!

Movies or shows: all time, I'd say Band of Brothers, Breaking Bad, Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, Man on the Train, Ex Machina, 28 Days Later, Alien, What Dreams May Come, Fellowship of the Ring... I should shut up, this will never end. Currently loving Station 11, stoked to start Raised By Wolves again.

[Vordan]

Hey Phillp, Got like two questions for you, One is there any chance you might do more DC cosmic work after your run on AC is finished Two, What Marvel characters would you write if given a chance and Three will there be any House of El foreshadowing in the following issues?

Working on some DC cosmic things right now! Just a couple lil' guys, but fun and giving me a chance to bone up on some lore I didn't know much about.

Love Cap, Bucky, Moon Knight (and NOT just cause he's cool now).

I do expect to do more House of El!

Hey Phillip, big fan of your work in AC and The Last God, like a big fan of fantasy stories myself, I really loved this last one. So I was wondering if you have any plans to write more stories in this universe? Or can we expect any spin-offs by another creative team?

Really loking foward for more adventures in Cainn Anuun

Deeply hope so. I'm up for it anytime, and I know Riccardo would love it too once our work together on Action is concluded.

Would you like to write the Batman run at some point? Who is your favorite Robin and favorite DC character to write?

Hell yes, although what I have in mind for him would probably best suit a Black Label series, like a long but contained Long Halloween situation. Favorite Robin AS ROBIN was probably Dick, but as his current self I LOVE Jason Todd.

Hey Phillip! Big fan here! Do you have plans yo write snother DC character besides Superman? I mean, last week I read The Last God and I thought You would be awesome writting Wonder Woman.

Thanks so much! Would love to, Diana's incredible. Love the dark characters also: Constantine, Spectre, Deadman, etc.

I could see him being a good fit for Diana, he’d definitely do a fantasy epic with her and he’s already interested in Circe.

Hi Phillip, just want to say your run on Action Comics has been absolutely stellar. From laying the groundwork in “the One who Fell” to the House of El in Future State, and now the Warworld Saga. I have a couple of questions. What was your inspiration for the Warworld Saga? Personally I would love to see your take on a terrestrial Superman. I know that Jon has the spotlight right now but if you were to write Clark as the main Superman of Earth again, What are some things you would like to write about? Thanks! Keep up the great work!!!

I was inspired by the work of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jack Kirby, the work of my favorite Superman writers over the years, and many of the threads that Bendis introduced. It made sense for things to lead to Warworld.

The events after Warworld will be results of the EVENTS of the Warworld Saga, so I shouldn't say yet, except to say: he's haunted by the time he's lost with Jon because of his decision to let Jon go into space without him. That will impact his decisions going forward.

Hi Phillip, thanks for doing this it means a lot! I hope the sub gets more writers on it's really cool.
I would love to know about your future at DC. You've written for lots of publishers, but I hope with the success of Action Comics the smart people over at DC are trying to snatch you up, or at least get you on more titles. Can you confirm, or even hint, that you have more DC work coming outside of Action? And when we may be able to hear about it?

I'm writing every page I have the bandwidth for, and DC has been SUPER good to me. I can confirm I'm doing a couple other DC things right now. Plus Alien at Marvel, and a third series I'm super pumped for that hasn't been announced yet. Stay tuned, and HUGE THANKS for the support.

I’m curious what this other DC project is, maybe a Superfamily crossover event?

What made you want to use Mongul (or is it misleading not add the number?) and what do you think in regards to his status as a Superman villain?

Do you think he's better because of his status as someone who can fight the Man of Steel or do you think it's his role as ruler of War World? Or perhaps both aspects.

I wanted to use him in part to develop plot points introduced in the Bendis run. His potential is so incredible, as the person who's capable of ruling a place like Warworld and a people like the warzoons. He's a despot and a slaver, the antithesis of Superman. I always wanted to know more about who he is. So now we're going to learn all that.

Hi,

Loving the work and the range of stuff you bring to the table.

what are you reading yourself at the moment and enjoying? (Does not have to be comics)

I'm doing some super old-school DC reading for research, reading an old PROSE novel also for research, and sadly I shouldn't reveal either thing yet. But I'm also listening to the audiobook of Stephen King's Billy Summers which is great so far, and am about to start a reread of some Harlan Ellison stuff, starting with "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream."

Will there be any Superman family comics in Webtoons? The Batman Family one is great!

Not by me, sadly

Get someone on this DC!

Phillip,

Love the whole saga. It’s stunning and a great distillation of what makes Superman an incredible character.

I’m interested in religious and philosophical ideas, and would love some insight into blood priest theology. Thanks!!

Oh man. So much to get into with this.

We'll explore this in future issues, but: they're warrior-priests that enforce Mongul's will across Warworld, but are also basically propaganda mouthpieces for him. There's this massive "oral history" of Warworld and of the line of Mongul that continuously evolves through the telling, and evolves to favor whoever the new Mongul is. The writing at the center of Warworld has been wrapped up into that, is supposedly proof of Mongul's divinity and greatness, but it's all just this massive con, and the bloodpriests actually believe it all even as they contribute to the bullshit mythology themselves.

Hard to imagine, right??

We've seen your depiction of Superman's moral code: you can really tell that he genuinely cares and loves everyone, which is Amazing. We also have seen how smart and determined he is. Will we also see your take of a fully powered Superman? It would be amazing to see him soar after he has been in the dirt for so long! (... wondering if he is still a planet moover after all those years..)

No spoilers, you! (Thanks for reading!)

What is the biggest challenge with being inspired to write about the hope in humanity that is Superman when the society today looks like .. well, gestures this

Aw, hey brother.

I think it's easier to write about these things than ever. It's not just a job, it feels important. It's a responsibility, and I'm hugely grateful to have been entrusted with it.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the AMA. It was so great chatting with you.

There’s a few posts I skipped about his family and other non-DC topics, but this is all the Superman/DC related posts I found.

[HsssH]

Thanks for collecting it Vordan. It all sounds good minus the parts about Constantine. I hope he doesn't end up writing him as one of the future series that he is talking about. Yes, I really don't like Constantine.

[rpmaluki]

So much thanks @Vordan for posting this AMA. It was a great read.

[Vordan]

Hearing in the AMA that he wants to apply the same world building process to Metropolis that he’s done for Warworld makes me excited as hell for what comes after the Warworld Saga. Does make me wonder: will both Jon and Clark be protecting Metropolis? Or will Jon pull a Jace and move somewhere else? Maybe he’ll go defend Gamorra like how Jace moved to NYC. Super excited to see him bring Steel and Kara in, I wish had been quick enough to ask if he had any plans for Kenan as well (right now I’m assuming the answer is no). But perhaps Gene Yang will be one of those “other writers” and will do something with Kenan.

[Hypo]

Action Comics #1040 Preview (Unlettered)
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Riccardo Federici
Backup Writer: Shawn Aldridge
Backup Artist: Adriana Melo

[Quinlan58]

So Clark has links in his chain now? Does that mean he killed several warriors now, or is it just a plot hole? Because I doubt PKJ is going to have Clark kill other fighters (at least not in the gladiator arena).

Also, I see you've posted PKJ's answers to the AMA. The ones I found most interesting are the following:
- Steel, Kara and Kon will be important in upcoming parts of his run. Val Zod will not.
- How Death of the Justice League fits with Action Comics might be similar to how Superman & the Authority fits with Action Comics.
- He mentions Metropolis a lot even when the question doesn't directly ask him about it. On the contrary, he never specifically says he has plans for Jon, even when prompted.
- Of the loose ends Superman and the Authority left, he'll address ONLY the "secret of Kryptonite" thing or ONLY the "Lightray Is" thing. He may address both, but he only has plans for one.
- Mentions he has plans for one villain he can't mention, and that he's interested in working with Metallo and Toyman.
- On how the events of Warworld will affect Clark: "I think letting Jon go into space with Jor-El, and the time they lost together as a result, will always deeply haunt him. We'll see him dealing with that, and how that decision impacts his decision-making in the future, and the future of the Super-family."

[Vordan]

Wish I hadn’t forgotten about the AMA so I could’ve posted my questions in there earlier and got them answered. I wanted to know if Kenan would be part of his future Superfamily plans (unlikely but I hope so), and what does he think about the data pages Hickman used in his X-Men as a tool for worldbuilding, pros and cons? He and Hickman are very similar in terms of being world builders, but Hickman at heart is a scifi writer whereas PKJ is a fantasy one imo.

[DragonPiece]

As exciting as warworld is, I do wanna fastforward time and see his plans for when Clark is back on earth....or maybe just whatever character he uses to tell his Metropolis stories since death of JL will lead to only Jon being Superman.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Looks like Clark's gray is disappearing...

[Knightsilver]

Looks like Clark's gray is disappearing...

It would be interesting if Monguls resurrections unintentionally cured Clark of what was killing him.

[Vordan]

As exciting as warworld is, I do wanna fastforward time and see his plans for when Clark is back on earth....or maybe just whatever character he uses to tell his Metropolis stories since death of JL will lead to only Jon being Superman.

Hm you know I was going to say that I think PKJ will just ignore DotJL, but maybe he plans to have Kara and Steel take over as protagonists of Action for a while? I wouldn’t mind that to be honest, even if I’d rather he kept writing Clark.

Looks like Clark's gray is disappearing...

One of the things he mentioned in the AMA is that he does have plans for a full powered Clark…