Warning! Spoilers for Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2 by DC Comics
The Earth-Prime crossover series at DC Comics continues, as the Arrowverse versions of Superman & Lois will star in their very own comic book adventure. Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2 by Jai Jamison, Adam Mallinger, Andrew N. Wong, Tom Grummett, Norm Rapmund, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano, will take a closer look at the character's shared history and add new DC characters to the universe while showcasing some exciting new adventures set in the show's universe.
We had the chance to speak with Superman & Lois writers Adam Mallinger and Jai Jamison about the upcoming Arrowverse crossover and what it was like to jump from the television world to the pages of DC Comics. Check out our interview below, where both writers share their excitement for Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2.
What was it like to bring these versions of such iconic characters from the small screen into the pages of DC Comics where they originally began?
Adam Mallinger: It felt like it truly validated our show in the Superman canon to not just have a comic, but to have it done by an artist like Tom Grummett, whose Superman credentials are unquestioned. To be one of the writers who got to do that was incredibly meaningful.
Jai Jamison: As someone who grew up at my local comic book shop, it’s surreal. In a weird way, writing comic books felt like more of a mysterious long shot than even making movies. What these characters have meant to me, in terms of fostering and nurturing my imagination, empathy, storytelling sense can’t be quantified. So an opportunity to work in the medium that originated them was truly special.
How did this project begin, what were the challenges, and the biggest difference between writing for TV vs. the comics?
AM: DC reached out seeking writers from all the shows who were interested in telling stories in the comics. By the time we all met via Zoom, DC had decided it'd be a six-issue project, with each show getting a solo issue and coming together somehow in a crossover.
A challenge a lot of shows faced is that there are characters who hadn't met on screen yet, and also some characters who didn't even know about the existence of the other characters. A big concern was telling a story that would still preserve those first meetings for any future on-screen crossover.
For us specifically, a concern was that our initial meetings took place just as we on the show were starting to talk about season 2 and so very little was absolutely firm in terms of story, and even less firm in terms of exactly when certain story beats would air. Eventually that's what pushed us to tell stories that weren't tied to the time frame of the current season.
The biggest difference in writing for TV vs. the comics was that it was just me, Jai and Andrew on this. On the show, we break stories as a room and we might have as many as ten people in there. And also, as the showrunner, Todd Helbing is approving each story break, asking for changes, sending us back, and refining it. Then after we write our first draft, Todd gives pretty detailed rewrite notes and sends us back to execute them. Usually after that, or a few rounds of that, then he takes the reigns on a rewrite and does his pass. For the lower-level writers like us, that can mean an extensive rewrite. So for TV in general, the showrunner's stamp is all over every single episode. It's their story and we're all servicing that.
On the comic, we had free reign. Todd approved our stories, but we had much more autonomy than on a normal episode. In terms of the technical side, we had to think a lot more about how each page advances the story and how much action you can fit into the page. So it forces you to think about story a little differently, but I felt like I picked that up quickly.
JJ: The biggest challenge was figuring out compelling stories to tell that fit into what we were doing on the show. Particularly at a time when we hadn’t totally broken the entirety of season 2.
The biggest difference is the pacing and structure. Instead of act breaks, we had to think in page breaks.
The main story centers around Superman and Lois and a sweet tradition between them. What made the comics medium the perfect way to tell this story?
AM: I'd say we had a little more freedom in terms of how many different threats we could cram into one story, even as walk-ons. It's very much a Clark and Lois story, but the comic book medium gave us a little more license to throw in everything and the kitchen sink with references to the Fleischer cartoons, the Post-Crisis Superman, and the Reeve films. I don't know if in the show we'd be as whimsical about a trip into space as we are here, but it's definitely fun to see this as the past of our characters.
JJ: The scope. We wanted to tell a very relatable relationship story in a way that only Superman and Lois Lane could experience it. Something big and epic. To do what we did in the comic, would blow our entire budget.
This also sees the introduction of a pretty big villain to the Superman and Lois canon, how exciting was that and what role does he play?
AM: The funny thing is that I'm not at all a fan of that character. I wasn't writing that story, so it didn't matter either way. And yet, when Jai suggested it, that part of me that's nostalgic for the era of comics where that character was ALWAYS guest-starring somewhere really got excited. I love the way Jai and [co-writer] Andrew (Wong) used him, by the way. It was just the right amount of him where you appreciated how he was getting in the way of Superman's dinner plans with Lois.
JJ: When we spoke to Todd about what we could do, he gave us a pretty long rope in regards to characters we could tackle. In fact, I believe his exact words were, “go nuts.” When we laid out the idea of the story, and knew the obstacles and threats had to escalate, this particular character was my absolute first choice to be the final obstacle. He’s just so much fun to write, there’s an irreverence to him that really fits my sensibilities. And the idea of him as a foil to our specific Superman really appealed to me. Even if it was for a few pages….for now.
What can you tease about the backup story of Superman, the appearance of Tal-Rho, and how he connects to the villain of the crossover, Magog?
AM: We're exploring the origin of the Superman from John Henry's world, which was not something we'd really dealt with last season. Part of the reason for that is there's really not much compelling about an evil Superman, to be honest. At the start of the season, the assumption was that he just always was evil and that's why he wore a black suit. Then in the first draft of "Holding the Wrench" we learned that this Superman had been a hero for many years before going bad and also that he'd always worn black. That got me thinking about what this guy's history must have been.
My feeling is always that Superman in black is not Superman. Even Reign of the Superman makes this point with the black survival suit that he wears when he first comes back. It's not a random decision, nor is it a coincidence that the Cyborg Superman he has to defeat is the only Superman that's wearing the true Superman costume. Years after I read that story, I was in college discussing The Iliad and how in the end, Achilles has to face Hector, who has taken Achilles armor. My professor said that Achilles was essentially fighting himself, and so that's how I came to see REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN's climax - Superman needing to defeat this other self before he can be Superman again.
So that was the inception of my feeling that this guy in black wasn't truly Superman. He had the powers but he didn't have the heart. From there, I tried to figure out what made him that way? In looking for contrasts, it seemed to me that our Clark generally identifies as human. From birth he's been connected to humanity. Evil Kal-El would then likely identify as Kryptonian. We saw in episode 112 that it was Clark's close connection to humanity and specifically his family that gave him the power to fight off possession. It made sense to me that whether Evil Kal was possessed or if he was convinced to join the invasion, it would have been because he was disconnected from humanity by the time Tal-Rho arrived.
As far as Magog, his motives will remain a mystery until the crossover issue... but he clearly has a purpose for all those antagonists he's gathering.
JJ: Adam had a really strong vision for how we could examine and use this character in the backup story and do so in a way that further deepens our understanding of our primary Superman. One of the most exciting things about a character like Superman is the opportunity to hone in on a specific version of the character, and how that changes, or stays static, over time.
I love this quote from Walter Murch: "[If] you only studied water, H2O, in liquid form, your understanding would be limited. But if you studied H2O in its three forms, solid ice, liquid water, and gaseous steam, and compared them, your understanding of H2O increases exponentially.” These alternate universe stories, our ice and steam so to speak, allow us to define how special and unique the circumstances are that created OUR Superman. Another great example of this is our episode in Bizarro World when the show returns 4/26.
What was it like working with Tom Grummett and Norm Rapmund on this project?
AM: It was a dream. Tom was drawing Superman and Superboy during one of my favorite periods in comics. The first time we saw just a few pages in pencil it looked just like his classic work and it really gave us the feeling that "Wow! We're making a real Superman comic here!"
We didn't know who the artist was going to be when we turned the script in, but we were very much hoping for an iconic Superman artist. Tom just knocked it out of the park and he didn't even ask for any changes! He could have come back and said, "Yeah, this isn't working" or "Can we do this?" and I think we'd have tripped over ourselves making changes for him. He just took what we gave him and he executed it marvelously.
JJ: First of all, as nascent comic book writers it is invaluable that we were surrounded and supported by absolute pros across the board. Not just Tom and Norm, but Andrew Marino, our editor who was there to guide us through the process.
But beyond them lending their craft and years of experience to our vision, being able to collaborate with actual legends in the game — people I’ve grown up with admiring and idolizing — is truly a career defining moment. It’s like being drafted by a championship team. They elevated the ceiling of our ideas and made the whole thing feel so real. Getting the work in progress pages was a really amazing moment, (especially since I was in Vancouver producing the episode I co-wrote at the time).
Who would you say this book is for? Comic readers who want to learn more about the CW Superman and Lois show? Or do you see it as an avenue for the TV show's fans to learn more about the comics? or both?
AM: When we started writing, I thought about this wonderful story by Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway in an old SUPERMAN SECRET FILES #1, where Bruce Wayne visits the Kents disguised as an old friend of Clark's and tries to figure out what made Superman into the man he was. It was a savvy way to recap about a decade of continuity in one story there. I started with a few pitches aimed at doing the same, you know, "How do we explain SUPERMAN & LOIS to an audience that hasn't seen it?"
But then I realized that we have fans of the show who are hard core comics fans, so they were probably gonna buy it. We have fans of the show who DON'T read comics, but we hoped they'd buy it, and then we had comic fans who hadn't seen the show. Some of my pitches seemed aimed too much at that last group, I realized, and might be short-changing viewers of the show. For me, I stopped thinking about "Who is this for?" and just focused on coming up with stories for Superman & Lois that I thought might be interesting.
To me, that seemed to be the most effective way to tell a story that would resonate with hard-core viewers and hard-core comic readers who were just along for the ride because Tom Grummett was here.
JJ: This book is for fans of the show who want a deeper look into the history of their favorite “super-couple.” It’s for fans of Superman who might enjoy a few fun, one-off stories about the Man of Steel. It’s for fans of Tom and Norm who just love some really good artwork. It’s for fans of chain shrimp restaurants. And, apparently, it’s for my mom who preordered a whole bunch of copies back in Richmond, Virginia.
What do you hope readers get from the book?
AM: I hope they enjoy the stories. If it convinces some people to see more of our Superman and Lois on TV that'd be great. I'd also love it if it introduces a younger generation to Tom Grummett's beautiful catalog of work.
But mostly, I hope that they enjoy the book so much that that brings in some curious readers who weren't inclined to check it out. I'd love for this book to have an audience that ensures we'll do another comic. I hope we wrote a book that when people finish, they want to tell DC to make more.
JJ: I hope they get a deeper understanding of some of our characters and the sandbox we’re playing in. I hope they get a good 20-40 minutes of joy (I don’t know folks’ readying habits…60 minutes? 5 minutes?) And I hope they (eventually) get more books.
Thanks so much to Adam Mallinger and Jai Jamison for speaking to us about the upcoming comic. The Arrowverse crossover, Earth-Prime: Superman & Lois #2 by DC Comics, arrives in comic book stores on Wednesday.
