Superman #204 Eggiology
For those of you coming late into the game, back when I was working on Batman: Hush, I started posting some easter eggs about issues I had drawn. As slang, easter eggs are technically little things commonly found in video games as inside jokes or extra, non-crucial content, but I’ve borrowed the terminology for comics. For those of you who like to find them yourselves, I give you this moment as a spoiler to avert your eyes. OK, without further ado, here they are for issue 204.
Cover—Obviously a diptych to the second printing cover to Batman 608. Bookends if you will. Yin and Yang, black and white, lover not a fighter. You get the idea. If you notice, the final color is a bit different from the initial jpgs released which had more purple/pink light cast on Superman from the left. Alex and I decided Superman would be fairly independent of environmental light to play up the boldness of his costume and to show that he is iconic, not only in form, but in color as well. Cityscape designed by the incomparable Lee Bermejo. Fantastic artist. Can’t drink for squat but the boy knows how to draw.
Page 1—Geesh...loads of inside jokes and names.
Panel 1--Studio Gioco Duro (literally Studio Hard Ball in Italian)—the name of the studio Giuseppe ‘Cammo’ Camuncoli and I share in Italy is mentioned under the first caption. Bazzo is a nickname for a talented Italian writer of a book called Road’s End. On the far right of panel 1 is an unabashed plug for the newest WS book to hit the stands...the Intimates. It will in fact come out in November the week of Wizard World Dallas. We decided to set it on that date as creators Joe Casey, Cammo and I will all be attending so come and get your signed copy at the con!
Panel 2--The diner named at the far left is named after a friend here in Italy...Jessicina (a misspelled nickname for Cammo’s girlfriend) used in connection to a cellphone ad since Cammo spends a lot of time talking to her. Sleeper posters obviously to again, unabashedly promote Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' second season on the eponymous critical smash. And yes, that’s my family walking there...got a great fare flying into Metropolis International so we thought we would take a stroll around = D.
Panel 3--Lady on the cellphone is the same one who waaayyy back in X-Men 270 or 271 I think (forgot the issue number exactly but it’s the one where several civilians are interviewed about the happenings going on in Genosha). Anyway, the two are loosely based visually on a former assistant X-editor at the time I was at the big M. I thought it would be nice to show where she relocated to.
Page 2—all church exteriors and interiors loosely based on the Duomo in Siena, Italy. An amazing cathedral if you ever get the chance...don’t miss it. When my wife and I lived in Siena 15 years ago after we were married, this impressive structure was just around the corner from our apartment and I used to make regular visits just to be blown away by its artistry and grandeur.
Oh and pages 2, 4 and 5 were inked by Sandra Hope and Richard Friend specifically for the Wizard preview. With the holidays on us, the deadline for the preview was supertight so they jumped in and helped out at the last minute, inking over crappy blueline printouts. Scott Williams came back after the Winter break and inked the pages for real. One of the seriously cool benefits of being in a studio with so many stellar talents.
Another tidbit...the original 3 pages to issue 1 were moved to issue 2 for space considerations and because it made for a better opening in that particular issue.
Page 6—Some have claimed this was a swipe of a Alex Ross shot from Kingdom Come. If it is, it is pure coincidence. I would be completely upfront about it if I had looked to his work on this shot. Anyway, honestly, how many slight upshots of Superman floating in the air are out there? Now that I have seen his shot, I would have drawn mine better if I had his to refer to haha = P. In fact, in the original layouts for this issue (normally I don’t do them but since this was the first time Brian and I were collaborating, I wanted him to see the direction I was taking with the storytelling), Superman is coming in from the left.
Page 8—panel 6...in the church scenes, I was always looking for a way to do something dramatic angle-wise, and an obvious inspiration was a scene in the movie, the Untouchables, perhaps Brian DePalma's finest in which Sean Connery and Kevin Costner debate their strategy in their war against Al Capone. That scene was inside a church as well and I remember the beautiful upshots and panoramic feel DePalma achieved and wanted to try and bring that onto the page if possible.
Page 14—Now this shot was inspired by an incredible splash page from Muhammed Ali vs Superman oversize Treasury edition. The shot I am referring to didn’t have Superman in it at all but it’s the same angle. Those with great memories may recall it as the splash where the space fleet is making a U-turn in front of Jupiter. In cases like this, I usually dig up the reference just to make sure mine isn’t too similar. In this particular case, since I didn’t have any comics with me in Italy, I had Scott Williams make a quick scan and shoot it over after I had drawn the page for piece of mind.
Page 22—last panel. Bermejo, Micciu, Bazzo, Studio Gioco Duro...all inside references to people I know in Italy and the studio itself. Whak Cola is the brand that Max Faraday drank in Divine Right. Since we can’t use real brand names for legal reasons, I figure why not create consumer awareness for some fictional ones and keep them consistent from book to book. Phatboy's is the name of the hip-hop Pizza Chain where Max worked as well. On the stock ticker tape is BAZZ...Brian’s handle on the Vertigo 100 Bullets site. In fact, there he is in a Cubz T-shirt and some real mofo bling bling. Looking for Brian is yours truly in the orange Padres cap. Also on the ticker tape--initials for me, Alex Sinclair, Dan Didio, and others.
Page 23—My take on the classic Superman #1 cover from 1939. Brilliant shot even way back then.
Page 24—First panel...note that is not Sydney...still Metropolis. The building to the far left is the new Science Spire that Lexcorp is constructing. Look for it to play a part of the storyline in the upcoming Question and Man of Steel miniseries.
Panel 2--The bum is wearing a Visit Parma T-shirt...an inside dig at a neighboring rival city to the one I am living it (Reggio Emilia). Casali produce...Casali is the last name of Italian writer Matteo Casali who you will be hearing more about in the upcoming year—promise! Also on the newspaper headline...yep...once again...the Intimates! The mushroom graphitti is lifted from the walls of Reggio itself. I see this image and bic lighters all around town as well as little Sam and Max’s and even a Superman. Reggio also has a bar with a giant mural of an image lifted from Frank Miller’s Sin City and there is a bar which has an original Catwoman headshot up on the toilet wall by yours truly. Yeah, there’s not much to do here heh = P.
Page 27—panel 4. The only shot of Superman I really liked from this issue. This is the face I see in my head for Superman...this is him...unfortunately, my arm and hand doesn’t always give me this image too often. Hopefully I will nail it more often as the series continues.
Not too many this issue (thankfully)...back to the grind for me...thanks for reading!
