Dan Jurgens is perhaps most famous as the person who wrote and drew one of the biggest moments in the history of comic books back in 1992, "The Death of Superman." The Minnesotan is now writing the DC Comics series that gave birth to the superhero era: "Action Comics," in DC's new "Rebirth" era.
Jurgens takes the first word of that title quite seriously in terms of what he has planned for Superman. "I wanted to kick the series off with a high level of action and sense of mystery and adventure," he said.
DC Comics' "Rebirth" event, which has taken many comic book titles back to their popular roots while putting an end to DC's New 52 era, has given fans of Superman a nostalgic feeling. The New 52 Superman, who debuted when DC Comics did a company-wide reboot of its comic books in 2011, has died. In his place is the Superman whom generations grew up with and whom Jurgens worked on for years, pre-New 52. That Superman is now the only Superman in the DC Comics universe.
For Jurgens, it shows the unpredictability of the comic book industry, to be once again working with a character he creatively affected two decades ago.
"I don't think there's any way I ever could have looked this far down the road [back in the '90s] and come up with an accurate glimpse of the industry and where we'd be," Jurgens said. "I would say, however, that there are a number of truisms to Superman that will always endure. That's true of most good, iconic characters, and Superman probably embodies more of that than most. We're doing our best to emphasize that."
Jurgens has brought back a familiar foe: Doomsday, the monster that killed Superman back in the '90s.
"We're touching on a certain sense of feeling that those stories have while also adding plenty of new elements to the mix to make it feel fresh," Jurgens said.
There's one major difference between the new and old Superman, something Jurgens said he wouldn't have attempted back in the '90s because it was a plot point always considered for "down the line." This Superman, along with his wife, Lois Lane, has a child: Jonathan Kent, a young superpowered kid more or less destined to become the next Superboy.
Jurgens said there is something special about writing "Action Comics," especially with the title reverting to the original numbering it gave up during the New 52. (The 959th issue hit newsstands recently.)
"Every time I type an issue number on the front of the script, I'm keenly aware of the long, incredible history the book embodies," Jurgens said. "Action Comics No. 1 launched not only Superman, but the entire industry as we recognize it now. It has a sense of legacy to it that can't be denied."
So would Jurgens like to be around for the historic 1,000th issue of "Action Comics"?
"Yes, I'd love to be there for 1,000," Jurgens said.
"But that's still a long way off, and I have much more immediate issues to worry about."
