“Superman” panel reveals upcoming villains, guest stars

SAN DIEGO — Upgrades of old villains, revivals of past heroes, and an overall focus on character are key parts of the vision for upcoming Superman stories.

Writers Geoff Johns (“Action Comics”), James Robinson (“Superman”) and Tulsa’s Sterling Gates (“Supergirl”) took part in the “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” panel at Comic-Con International.  They were joined by “Supergirl” artist Jamal Igle, “Superman” artist Renato Guedes, and “Action Comics” fill-in artist Joe Prado.  Editor Matt Idelson moderated.

As part of October’s “New Krypton” crossover, 10,000 Kryptonians find themselves on Earth, which they believe should be New Krypton.  Superman disagrees.   The story is about Superman is still unique, even with thousands of Kryptonians now on Earth.

“It’s not about changing stuff so much as it is about explaining character,” Johns said.

And New Krypton is “just the tip of the iceberg” of what this Superman team has planned, Johns said.  Johns, Gates and Robinson have stories planned into 2010.