Dan Didio hosted the DC Universe panel at Baltimore Comic Con for a whopping hour and 45 minutes, but little did the audience know that they would be treated to a serenade by Cully Hamner.

The panel began with Didio introducing the panel members:
Bob Wayne, DC VP of Sales
Jann Jones, Sr. Coordinating Editor
Mark Waid (The Flash, Brave and the Bold)
Jim Shooter (Legion of Super-Heroes)
Jim Califiore (Gotham Underground)
Billy Tucci (Sgt. Rock and the Lost Battalion)
Sergio Aragones (Bat Lash, Spirit)

As Didio introduced the panel members, he announced that Aragones would be the new writer on The Spirit, and that Tucci would be co-writing and drawing a Sgt. Rock and the Lost Battalion mini-series.

Didio asked the panel members to talk about what they're working on right now, beginning with Waid, who talked about the Challengers of the Unknown, who, in the last issue of Brave and the Bold, were entrusted with the Book of Destiny.

"It occurred to me that, I still want to do stories that are set in the past, stories set in the future, some stuff in continuity and some stuff that only the characters see," Waid said. "And I realized, we have the Book of Destiny now. The Book of Destiny has everything from the past, present and future in it." He said that the Challengers will use the Book of Destiny for stories that will take Brave and the Bold through issue 12. He also said George Perez is currently working on Issue #9. "It gives George the chance to do his favorite thing in the world, which is draw every character you've ever heard of."

Waid then turned to The Flash and asked the audience, "How many people are OK with the kids?" There was a lot of applause. "How many people not so OK with the kids?" Nobody responded. Waid said he had started getting some mail complaining about the kids, but he remembered "how much hate mail we got on Bart," and that made him feel better about what they're doing. And he said that in Flash issue #3, "you'll be presented with the real reason they're here."

Didio asked Calafiore to talk a little about Gotham Underground. "There's a power vacuum in Gotham City. The larger villains -- Joker etc. -- have been sort of sucked down into Salvation Run. So we're dealing with different factions trying to take over the Gotham underworld," Shooter said. "It would be easier for me to name who's not in the series than who is."

Shooter talked about his run on the Legion, pointing out that he started writing Legion 42 years ago, and the last time he wrote the characters was 30 years ago. "That's got to be some kind of record," he said. Shooter said the series will be keeping the continuity that has been built during

Shooter said the run will start with an epic 16-issue story -- pointing out that of course there will be smaller stories within the larger story. "The two main villains are Geoff Johns and Brad Meltzer, who are stealing the Legion," he joked. He said he's enjoying revisiting the characters, but is coming up with "new and different stuff" as well. "The Legionnaires are all about defending life, so I like the idea of them going out and doing that," he said, adding that comics characters have a "tendency to hang around the HQ until somebody attacks you," and he wants them to go out and make things happen.

Waid said he's thrilled that Shooter is taking over the version of the Legion that he began, adding that he had wanted -- way back when he was doing Action Comics Weekly -- to have Shooter do a Legion Academy comic for DC, but it never happened. "If I'm going to pass the baton to anybody, there's nobody I'd rather pass it to," Waid said.

When Didio asked Tucci to talk about Sgt. Rock, Tucci joked that he's glad he found the panel, then told a story about when he pitched the Sgt. Rock series, he went to the wrong offices for the meeting. "I went to the DC offices from 10 years ago. That's the last time I was up there," he said. "It was a great way to make a first impression."

Tucci called Sgt. Rock his dream project and he's collaborating on the series with screenwriter/director John Milius. "He's probably the only guy more nuts about World War II than me," Tucci said. "This will be really authentic. The most authentic and moving war comic ever. It's based on actual events."

Aragones said he grew up with Eisner's Spirit when he was a kid. "It was translated into Spanish," he said. "What amazed me was the fact he could tell a complete story in seven pages. I would skip school to read the magazine before, and then run back to class."

Wedding Planner, Cully Hamner interrupted the panel and said, "We've arranged for a musical interlude."

He explained that he lost a bet to Jann Jones in 2001, and "part off the bet is that I have to completely embarrass myself."

Waid said, "Tell the bet!"

"I believe the bet was that when the Olson twins come of age ..." Waid said, then the whole panel hinted that Hamner bet that at least one of the twins would ... compromise her morals, so to speak. Jones bet that they wouldn't.

Hamner said, "I lost the bet."

Waid added, "We all lost, really."

At this point, Hamner pulled out a printed sheet of paper with the lyrics to Get By With a Little Help From My Friends and began singing, with funny accompaniment from -- at first -- Billy Tucci, then later, the audience.

When he finished up, Didio gave the floor back to Jones to talk about her projects, but she said, “I’m a little stunned right now. I don't know quite how to follow up." Someone from the audience yelled, "The next song on the album is 'Fixing a Hole.'"

Jones told the audience about the Black Canary Wedding Planner this week. Then she talked about the titles that DC is adding to the Johnny DC line, including Tiny Titans, Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam and Super Friends.

"These are books that can be given to any child and you don't have to worry about the content," she said. "And you'll like to read them too."

Jones said there are also plans for a 10-issue Great Ten mini-series in 2008. "We'll be announcing the team later," she said. "Until then, we'll have Ghost Fox Killer in Checkmate #19. The Mother of Champions will be appearing soon too."

Didio then asked for questions from audience.

Has the new artist been announced on The Spirit? Didio: No.

Will Aragones be writing The Spirit in seven-page stories like Eisner did, or use the whole 22 pages? Aragones: "I'm going to use it all for long stories."

Will there be a Green Arrow Bachelor Party Special? Didio: Look in the JLA Wedding Special coming out next week.

Any chance of seeing superheroes do things with their superpowers besides fighting villains. Waid: They are shown doing those things from time to time, but you "need conflict for the story." Shooter: If you approach it realistically, "they would be doing that stuff all the time," such as using their super strength to just open jars.

When is All-Star Wonder Woman coming? Jones: We're not going to solicit it until we have enough issues in hand. Didio: Because of the problems we had with the All-Star line and the re-launch of Wonder Woman, we don't want to get in that situation again.

In the new Billy Batson title, will Talky Tawny show up? Jones: Not in the first six issues. Didio: There was a decision to concentrate at first on the relationship Billy has with the Wizard Shazam and their relationship.

Can Shooter speak to him owning the Legion characters because he wrote his first Legion issues when he was 13 years old? Shooter said he knew what he was doing when he signed the characters over -- he knew DC would own them. He said he was told, when he was writing for Marvel, that he could actually sue DC for ownership because he was not an adult when he signed over the characters -- and there had been no contact with his parents by DC. "I thought about it," he said. "And I said, 'No. I knew what I was doing at the time'" Shooter said it would be "dishonorable to backtrack on that deal."

Didio joked, "Is somebody taping this, please?"

Shooter said he later found out that Ditko was underage when he signed over Spider-Man. "If it's good enough for Steve, it's good enough for me."

Will there be a third weekly series? Will there be changes in the way it's written? Are there issues in the can yet? Dido: Yes, there will be a third weekly series. Yes, we're changing the way it's being written. No, it isn't been written yet, but soon.

"It's a complete reinvention of the way it's being written again."

What is the purpose of the third weekly series? Straight narrative? Shooter: "It's going to be undoing Final Crisis." Didio: "It's something completely different" from 52 and Countdown.

Now that Sgt. Rock is getting attention, any plans for Blackhawk? Didio: No, but we will be doing another war story by Bruce Jones called The War That Time Forgot. Waid: Blackhawk meets the Boy Commandos in Brave and the Bold #9.

Didio started looking at small pieces of paper that were handed to him that contained announcements he was supposed to make. When asked by the next fan if there would be a new Spectre series starring the new Spectre, Didio said no, then looked at one of the pieces of paper and said Peter Tomasi will be the new writer on Green Lantern Corps and also is the new writer on Nightwing.

Holding up another piece of paper, Didio said there will be special mini-series coming soon by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones called Batman the Unseen, where Batman will be fighting the Invisible Man.

Who is the artist on Bat Lash? Aragones: John Severin. "We are finished with Issue #5," he added. "It's magic to see a Western drawn by somebody who loves Westerns, like I think Sgt. Rock is going to be drawn by somebody who loves war."

After the crowd laughed at that statement, Aragones added he meant the stories behind war, not the actual killing that goes on in war.

There were then slides shown of the art for the first couple covers of the Bat Lash mini-series, including one by John Severin and one by Walt Simonson. It was the first time Aragones has seen the art in color, and he said, "Aye yi yi!"

Do you develop books to create a new market or develop to meet what the current market wants? Didio: Both. He said sometimes new ideas that might not fit in the DC Universe still might get published simply because they're good ideas, using the upcoming Simon Dark series by Steve Niles as an example. "It's set in Gotham City but it's not a Batman book," he said. But then he added that sometimes positive fan response to current comics makes DC look at the possibility of offering more comics in that vein, so they try to give fans what they want.

How does it feel to write something that you have to hand off to other people? Shooter: "You have to learn to let it go, and I've had to many times," he said, adding that even though things change, they're still the same basic concepts. "When they asked me to come back to Legion, they had changed the characters, but the basic characters, my stuff was still there." Waid: "You're contributing to a larger mythology, and you can't be selfish about that."

A fan expressed concern about creators taking care of themselves, and Mike Wieringo was mentioned. Didio asked Waid to tell the audience what he's doing in The Flash. "We're doing a piece on Mike Wieringo in the Flash next month," Waid said.

Will the Crime Syndicate showing up soon? Didio: "Absolutely. Now which one are we talking about?" Fan: JLA: Earth 2. Didio: Grant does have plans for that version of the Crime Syndicate. They do still exist in the DCU. But DC is also introducing the Crime Society on the new Earth 3, and there will be details about some of those characters in a special that will come out the first week of October.

Where's Hypertime? Waid (after searching through his pants pockets and looking around): I don't know. Next?

Will there be a new who's who book gathering the back-ups to 52 and Countdown? Wayne: That's one of the plans for them, and some will be online.

Has Plastic Man disappeared? Didio: No. There are plans for him.

A fan asked what the panel would recommend that new comics readers check out from DC?

Jones: Justice League.

Waid: All-Star Superman.

Shooter: Mark Waid's back issues of Legion.

Calafiore: The first 52 compilation, which he said he's just now checking out because he's behind on reading. "I had no idea if it was just gimmicky, and I was impressed."

Tucci: "I've been reading Showcase books."

Will there be a 52 Absolute Edition? Wayne: No plans for that at this time.

Are there plans for any comic books where the bad guys win? Shooter: "Are you reading them lately? They win all the time."

Waid then joked, "Iron Man for instance. That would be one."

The fan said, "I thought Iron Man was a good guy." Waid replied, "Yeah, I did too."

Will there be comics about Batman villains to tie in with the villains that will be in the Dark Knight movie? Didio: We have a couple plans to build product to support the movie.

A fan asked about how Deathstroke is the principal in Tiny Titans. Any other characters like that? Jones: Mr. Trigon the substitute teacher.

Will The Flash series bring in the Rogues? Waid: All the rogues are in Salvation Run for awhile, so he would like to start creating some new things. "Also Geoff did such a great job on the Rogues that it's hard to top that," he said, adding that the comic will focus on the family at first, but the Justice League "gets involved in the next few months because they come to the realization that it takes a village to raise superpowered kids."

It's been shown that Deathstroke and Poison Ivy have something planned, and in the Wedding Planner, there was something about Black Canary picking out a florist. Any connection? Jones: Not intentionally.

Is there any thought to a change in creators in All-Star Batman and Robin during the delay? Didio: Issue #8 is done. Issue #9’s script is in. Jim Lee is starting on it.

Any plans for another Marvel/DC crossover? Didio: No plans at this time. "We're focusing on building our own continuity, just as Marvel is."

Do sales of the graphic novel lead to increased sales in pamphlet format? Wayne: Depends on the nature of the comic. There is more impact on books in Vertigo than on the DC side.

How is it determined whether there will be a hardcover before a softcover? Wayne: It's somewhat proprietary. "We do have a dart board and there is a wheel of format involved," he joked.

Any chance of seeing really rare stories that haven't been printed in the United States? Wayne: There's always a chance.

What 22-page comic from the past do you wish you could buy and will pick it up if you ever see it?

Didio: "Spider-Man #50."

Tucci: "I can't even think, because the ones you want are so much money."

Calafiore: "Same sort of response. I have things I'm fond of like the Metal Men.

Shooter: "When I was a kid, I bought brand new comics off the newstands like Fantastic Four #1," he said. "I read them to death. It never occurred to me to save them. If I had to pick one, I don't know, but that would be Spider-Man #1."

Jones: "Mine is so dorky. Lord Pumpkin #4."

Wayne: The first 80-page giant Secret Origins comic. "I bought it finally in 1976 at a comic convention in New York."

Jones then said to Wayne: "I was born in '76, Bob."

In the upcoming JSA Classified and Justice Society of America stories, who's showing up? Didio: The Kingdom Come storyline is coming up in Justice Society, with Kingdom Come Superman, then after that is a story focusing on Power Girl. For Classified, there are Wildcat and Alan Scott stories coming up.

Are there plans for a Green Lantern movie? Didio: No. "There's a big focus right now on a rather large team of characters that one of those guys might be in, but we're not allowed to talk about movies."

Do you plan on collecting the issues of the new Johnny DC comics for bookstores? Wayne: "We plan, as there is enough material from those comics, to put them in book format," he said, adding that they'll then determine how to sell them through comics shops and bookstores or other outlets.

Are Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans Go gone because of the new kids line for Johnny DC? Didio: JLU will run to the middle of next year at least. "If sales support the number of kids books out there, we'll keep them out there. Those books were built to support television series that are no longer creating new material." He added that Legion of Super-Heroes will continue because the series is still out there.

Will there be more things like Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe, now that there's a new multiverse? Didio: Yes.

What do you have to read to understand Final Crisis? Didio: "Countdown gets you to Final Crisis. Then Final Crisis goes…."

At this point, Didio looked like he wanted to say something else, but Bob Wayne started coughing loudly. Didio smiled and said, "If we had another series, maybe that."

A fan asked -- characters die and come back all the time, but what's your stance on it? Didio: It's the value, depth and strength of the death. How important is it to the DCU and how relevant is it? What stories does it tell and what stories can be told as a result?

At this point in the panel, Didio held up another piece of paper and said he had one more announcement, but someone would have to ask him a question that had to do with it. He gave the hint: Sin City.

What is Frank Miller doing? Didio: Still working on All Star Batman and Robin.

Will there be a Batman/Superman vs. Apollo Midnighter? Didio: No.

Is Robert Rodriguez writing comics? Didio: No he's not writing comics.

Is there a DC theme park in Vegas? Didio: No!

Are the Olympian gods coming back? Didio: Yes, but not yet.

Then Billy Tucci went down into the audience and asked, "What’s your favorite Universal monster?" Didio: "My personal favorite happens to be the Wolfman."

A fan followed up by asking, will there be a comic book prequel to the Wolfman movie? Didio: NO!

Finally, a fan asked, "What's Marv Wolfman doing now that he's off Nightwing?"

Didio: A new Vigilante series that's coming up soon. "There's a traitor among the heroes," Didio said.

A fan yelled out, "Is it Iron Man?" to laughter from the whole panel and crowd.

Sales-wise, how safe is the Blue Beetle title? Is there enough support in editorial to save it? Wayne: Yes, there is enough support.

Will there be more comics in Spanish? Didio: Nightwing.

- In the last issue of Justice League, which Aquaman is that? Didio: It's the new Aquaman.

As the last question, a fan asked, will there be a new Hawkman series? Didio wanted to answer really badly, but looked at Wayne, who said, "We can't tell you that, but we can tell you as you exit the room, there will be DC Nation buttons."