by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Chuck Austen is a man of action. And he’s soon to be creating painful moments for the gods.

If you’ve been living in comic book limbo, well, other than writing X-Men for Marvel and self-publishing WorldWatch, Austen is also the new Action Comics writer, and come July, his six-part bi-weekly “The Pain of the Gods” arc starts in JLA #101.

Love him or hate him, the uncanny action man is set to tackle a large portion of the DCU in two fell swoops. Austen agreed to speak with Newsarama about his current and upcoming work in the DCU.

NEWSARAMA: When it was announced and confirmed last year that you’re taking over Action Comics, you told us that your version of Superman is going to be a nod to the original as envisioned by Siegel and Shuster, and that you too are a fan of the original, charming and funny Superman. Reflecting on that, and taking a look at the two-part short story that appeared in Action Comics #812-813 as well as your first full-issue of Action (#814), how do you think that the original vision has been translated, adapted and modernized for the new generation of Super-fans?

Chuck Austen: So far so good. I've been really pleased with the results, actually. Ivan [Reis] has done just an unbelievable job of translating the scripts into something far more than they were when I envisioned them. His expressions, his attention to detail -- it all just blows my mind. There are no words for how incredible each issue looks as it comes in. He and Marc Campos make a sensational team. Ivan gets all the Cary Grant charm I wanted across wonderfully, and makes Superman cool and intense without coming off as dippy and goofy. And Marc's inks take the pencils to another level, which says a lot because those pencils ...

So I'm really, really pleased. I think there was a fear that I was going to turn Superman into a wisecracking Spider-Man, which is ironic because Spider-Man owes everything to the original Superman in terms of his alter ego's nebbish qualities, and his sense of humor when adventuring. Even working at a newspaper.

Some people will think I've gone too far I'm sure, in places, but I think it works. There's a precedent in Siegel and Shuster for every Superman action I've taken, so I feel well grounded in my choices. Eddie [Berganza] and Tom [Palmer Jr.] certainly think it works, and the reaction overall at DC has been wonderful. I was just up there last week and people kept stopping me in the halls and telling me how much they enjoyed the first two issues. They've been amazingly supportive on this, and I have to thank them for letting me give it a go. It's definitely different than how Superman's been seen in the recent past.

NRAMA: Prior to the Action gig, you had written the character before, in Superman: The Man of Steel #129 (with artist Pascal Alixe), Superman #188 (with fellow WorldWatch-er Tom Derenick) and Superman: Metropolis. In your opinion, how has your Superman changed since then, and what elements remain to this day, in your portrayal of the Man of Steel now in the pages of Action Comics?

CA: Superman #188 with Tom is pretty close to what I'm doing now. In a sense, that was my audition piece for the book. Eddie asked me to write a story that would show how I'd handle the character if I was given one of the books, and so I wrote an action piece with some heart. It was actually based on some things that had happened in my life, and I think that helped make the story more poignant.

I used some personal experiences to give a reason for Superman acting "out of character" and being funny. Now that I'm the writer on the book, this is Superman's character, so I don't need the "motivation" that story had. So taking that into account, #188's story is pretty close to what I'm doing now.

Honestly, my portrayal of Superman has evolved only slightly since I began writing him. I wrote that Man of Steel issue to help Eddie, and I just assumed it would be a one-off, and that would be that. Eddie liked it so much, and liked the other two fill-in outlines I had submitted along with it, one of which became #188, that he asked me to consider writing a Superman book if anyone ever vacated the title.

I researched the character, and that's when I fell in love with the Siegel and Shuster version. Their Superman made me laugh out loud, at times, and came off as so cool, he became impressive, even in the colorful costume. The same with the George Reeves television Superman. Those became my template, and I haven't wavered much since, even in the Metropolis approach. I just think it's the best version of Superman.

NRAMA: You mentioned before that you and editor Eddie Berganza were hoping to put the “action” where it belongs, and this title was where you guys thought could be just the right place to do so.

CA: Yep. Absolutely. It's in the title ([laughs]!

NRAMA: However, you’re known for your soap opera-style of storytelling as well. How are you maintaining this approach, making Superman less of an alien, but more human just like everyone else while kicking things up a notch or two from time to time?

CA: The first five pages of the next issue (Action #815) will answer this better than I ever could. Clark is demoted, loses his job to the last person in the world he'd want to lose his job to, and he and Lois have marital difficulties. Nothing serious, just stuff we all go through in relationships, made more stressful by the fact that they share a workplace.

I am known for my soap opera, but only when I feel the title calls for it. Soap opera is, after all, just the human side of the story, the relationships and the emotional content. Good soap can brings something seemingly silly and over the top into a personal and enjoyable realm. Anyone remember Speed? So there are human elements we deal with, soap elements, if you'd rather, to make Superman more someone we could understand.

The basic idea was to make Superman someone you can relate to. Make Clark the guy we understand, while Superman is the person we all wish we could escape into. We all wish we could be. "If you only knew the real me." I've heard a lot of people aren't buying the demotion, that they think it's a trick of some sort and will all go back in a few months or a year, but it ain't. This was part of the deal with me working on the book. I had no interest, otherwise. And both [Adventures of Superman writer Greg] Rucka and I like the implications and the interesting stuff it brings to the story aspects, so as long as we're here, it's here.

As far as kicking it up a notch -- wait until you see next issue. The level of explosiveness gets going right away, and it only goes uphill from there. Eddie likes to call Action the "summer blockbuster movie." Just when you think it couldn't get bigger and more violent -- it gets bigger and more violent. The trick is, keeping it on a human scale. Keeping it grounded in enough reality so that people can relate. No space stories, no alien worlds. We've got civilians in danger, buildings being destroyed, cars and trucks flying, villains through walls. By my fourth issue, we have almost ten villains coming after Superman at once.

How's that for kicking it up a notch [laughs])?

NRAMA: That's probably at least two nothces. Going back to the dichotomy between Clark and Superman, how would you define and characterize Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El?

CA: Clark is a nice, charming, confident young man from a small town with small town values and ideas -- who happens to be the greatest superhero on the planet.

The alien stuff was just an excuse to give him powers, in my opinion. Making him more alien takes the reality out of the strip. Makes the book impossible to relate to. Real people in fantastic circumstances, or fantastic people in real circumstances. That's the most interesting.

NRAMA: Who are some of the supporting characters that you’re using in Action, and who are some of the new ones that you’re hoping to add to the Superman mythos?

CA: I'll be using Jimmy, obviously. And Lena, from Metropolis. Lois, Lana, Perry, Jack Ryder who is also the Creeper.

As far as new cast, I'm just adding people who are interesting characters to read, and entertaining, I hope. People who make life difficult, or fun, or interesting in some way. There's a new tech at STAR labs who I'm having a blast with. Clark's new editor boss, Bill Loving, who is anything but. It's all about conflict and what makes for the most entertaining reading experience for your two fifty.

NRAMA: Upcoming issues boast the guest appearances of the Teen Titans (Superboy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash) as well as fellow JLA-er Wonder Woman. We're not going to let you go without teasing that story, obviously...

CA: Superboy is living in Smallville with Clark's parent's, the Kents. He's showing his friends around town, trying to get them to like the place since he's going to be living there, and he's also keeping an eye out for Doomsday, on Superman's behalf. The relationship between Superboy and Superman is like brothers, older and younger. It's a fun dynamic, and I loved writing it. I want to do more, in the future. Wonder Woman shows up because of things that happen in part 2 of the next story. Let's just say she's needed, at that point, and concerned for her friend.

NRAMA: Who else could fans and readers expect to see show up in future issues?

CA: The Creeper, eventually. Doomsday. Darkseid will be back, obviously. He will not soon forget that sucker punch. Preus. Some new villains. We're looking at adding other characters and making Action a bit of a team-up book. I don't know yet if they're available. Hawkman is one. Green Lantern.

NRAMA: When it comes to the bad guys, you’ve brought Darkseid into the fold in #814. And you’ve promised a showdown with Kingdom Come baddie Gog. What brought about this slugfest, and what level do you hope to bring Superman to at the end of the story?

CA: The Gog slugfest came about because his "real world" meeting with Superman had never been explored, and he made for an interesting villain in Kingdom Come. And what an unusual villain! Traveling through time and other dimensions to wipe out every existence of Superman? What a concept!

So he made for a potentially great Superman villain, and the fight promised to be an amazing one. And with Ivan's help, I think it worked out that way.

NRAMA: Moving away from Action, in July, “The Pain of the Gods,” the bi-weekly six-part saga begins in JLA #101. From the solicits, it seems that each issue focuses on each one of DC’s icons and JLA members, right?

CA: Yep. That's right. The idea was that we would do an arc that had stand-alone issues, that when viewed as a whole, had some kind of through-line that tied it all together as a complete story. So you can read each of the issues as a one-shot for one of the characters, or as a whole and get more from it. All the main characters appear in each book, though. I should clarify that. It's all about how they support one another through difficult times.

NRAMA: You’ve defined Superman. Now, in your own words, how do you envision the rest of the JLA-ers, namely:

Batman?

CA: I call him "The Dark Jerk." (Laughs). He has that arrogant side, pushing people away, the loner, very edgy and at times mean to his "teammates." This post Frank Miller Dark Knight persona that hates Superman and is obsessed with crime makes him, at times, unpleasant. But like with Seinfeld's unpleasant characters, it makes him interesting to read, too. So he's a fascinating, multi-facetted character.

NRAMA: Wonder Woman?

CA: Strong, powerful, and withdrawn. Has a difficult time opening up, particularly with men. Incredibly intelligent and with a very left-wing worldview. Women's rights. Environmentalist. I see her as supremely feminine, but tough as nails and willing to take anyone on, for a cause she believes in. She has come to trust her JLA teammates, and Superman in particular, quite a lot, and she had that thing with Batman, obviously. But I don't think she really trusts anyone as much as she trusts herself and the women from Paradise Island.

NRAMA: Green Lantern?

CA: I like using John Stewart, probably because he's a bit of a flawed hero. And I tend toward the animated version of him. Like me, he was raised in the military, very intense, and with a strong need to succeed and do the right thing. Great character.

NRAMA: The Flash?

CA: I just use Geoff's Flash. He does a brilliant job with Wally. Though I seem to make him a bit lighter.

NRAMA: Were you a fan of the JLA growing up?

CA: Nope. Sadly. I was a Marvel kid.

NRAMA: So your JLA reading is somewhat limited?

CA: I've really read very few, and mostly the recent stuff. I like Joe Kelly a lot. He's a very smart writer.

NRAMA: While you’re sticking close to Shuster and Siegel’s original Superman in Action Comics, and you’re not that exposed to JLA stories, who then is the influence behind “The Pain of the Gods”?

CA: I was more influenced by Mike Carlin. Mike is a great guy, and he and I spent a while hashing out which story I should do. I kept pitching things, and he would say, "We just did a story like that." Finally, I just said, "What would you like to see?" He told me had had this idea about how the JLA were very much like firemen, or cops, not just in the rescue and humanitarian work they do, but in that they support one another. No one knows what it's like to be a cop, as well as another cop. I loved that idea, and just rant with it from there.

He kept giving me input and ideas, and the scripts just flowed. It was a great experience. I loved working with Mike and have to say he was my biggest influence.

NRAMA: Has the more recent and most often, darker portrayals of superheroes in titles such as The Authority, Stormwatch and your very own WorldWatch , as well as the modernization of classic ones in the very pages of Action Comics #775, Superman: Birthright, or the Ultimates played a part in your take on DC’s icons?

CA: Actually, no. You'd think they would, but what I found interesting was working with these icons, and how incredibly meaningful they were. How they had such a long, established history of doing the right thing and being good. I never thought I could get into that, but somehow I did -- and enjoyed the hell out of it. It was nice writing about positive heroes, actually.

Yeah, WorldWatch it ain't (laughs).

NRAMA: What is the gist of “The Pain of Gods”? What’s the premise about?

CA: The premise is, basically, that each team member experiences some difficulty -- something that causes them pain -- and they must support one another. It's the idea, and this was Mike Carlin's idea so I give him all the credit, that part of the reason they hang out together is to support one another. Not just in teaming up to fight the bad guys, but in hanging out, talking, sharing funny stories and sharing pain.

So each issue is about a different team member having a hard time with something they've encountered in their adventuring, and how the rest of the JLA steps in to support them. Then, the events set in motion with the Superman story, continue through the series, and button it up at the end.

NRAMA: Who are the other JLA members that you’re using, or would this be solely focused on the core members such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash?

CA: I'm using each of them, and also using Martin Manhunter. His story was a lot of fun. I wanted to do a series with him after finishing that script.

NRAMA: While Action guest stars the Teen Titans, Wonder Woman and others, are you featuring cameos by other DC characters (superheroes and/or villains) in the six-part JLA story?

CA: Nope. There was no room left (laughs).

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