Writer Dan Jurgens has been quite busy over at DC Comics. Aside from AQUAMAN & THE OTHERS, he worked on numerous books in September for the FUTURES END tie-ins. Also, he's been one of the creators working on the weekly FUTURES END series. We talked to Jurgens about a few things relating to the recent Superman reveal and where the story is headed.
COMIC VINE: A few weeks back, it was revealed that the Superman, 5 years in the future, was actually Billy Batson taking up the mantle. Creatively, what led to the other writers and yourself to come up with this big twist?
DAN JURGENS: We were discussing all sorts of different ideas when we were first pulling the series together.
Early in the process, I did drew up a masked Superman and sent it to Brian, Keith and Jeff and said, "What do you think? It isn't Superman-- it's Billy Batson!" Then we started talking about why that might have happened and where Superman might have gone and it all started coming together.
CV: Is this something the world is going to know or only a select group of people and how would the world react to the idea that Superman isn't actually Superman?
DJ: In the FUTURES END SUPERMAN one-shot, as well as the weekly series, we've made it pretty clear that the world had no idea it was Shazam under the mask.
Lois Lane got that scoop, went with the story and now a number of people feel mislead or lied to.
CV: Now that the secret is out, what can we expect from Billy in the future?
DJ: Billy is conflicted. Even though the world now knows he isn't Superman, he feels rather duty bound to wear the Superman costume as a tribute.
At the same time, like many 20-year-olds, he's someone in search of his own identity.
CV: In the FUTURES END one-shot, Black Adam is sent to the Phantom Zone. Will he be popping back up anytime soon?
DJ: You actually have! Black Adam was sent to the Phantom Zone about five years prior to the FUTURES END weekly. Frankenstein and company actually find him in the Phantom Zone in FE #6. And, yes, there's more of him to come.
CV: You got to play a lot with the world of AQUAMAN this past month with Futures End Aquaman and Aquaman & the Others. As a writer, did it feel a bit weird to jump forward with these characters and stories that have been slowly building since the second arc of the new 52 Aquaman?
DJ: In a way, no. I've kind of had to split my brain in two, with one half of it existing in a world five years down the road anyway. In light of that, I've found myself thinking of all sorts of scenarios for any number of characters. It's gotten to be a somewhat strange and bizarre, yet fun, way to work!
CV: In your two-part story, Mera and Aquaman are no longer an item. Is their break-up going to becoming down the road in AQUAMAN & THE OTHERS or is it still a bit too soon?
DJ: Stay tuned! Just as we all have relationships that are constantly in flux, Arthur and Mera are no different.
CV: You also had a FUTURES END: BOOSTER GOLD issue come out. How did it feel to get your hands on that character again?
DJ: I always enjoy writing Booster, if for no other reason than he's a character that really is different from the rest of the DCU. Given the amount of dark stuff that's out there, it's fun to have someone around that will often lighten the mood a bit.
CV: The issue thrusts fans through many worlds of the Multiverse. For you, which one of these worlds that you wrote into the issue were you most excited to see and why?
DJ: Oh, gosh. I think it'd have to be a tie between Kamandi and the Legion. Everyone wants to do Kamandi and it was great to get it on the page and also have Ron Frenz do some great stuff with it.
At the same time, it was fun to harken back to a great LSH era. Frankly, it was hard to get it all in. We left some really great stuff on the cutting room floor.
CV: Fans, like myself, want to know. Is Booster Gold getting an on-going or limited series any time soon?
DJ: Yeah, I'd want to know that too!
Paging Dr. DiDio... paging Dr. DiDio...
Thanks to Dan Jurgens for answering our questions and make sure to see what happens next with Billy Batson in THE NEW 52: FUTURES END, on sale, weekly, from DC comics.