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KISS REFLECTS ON 40 YEARS: 1973-2013

My dream from the start was five years of glory with KISS. Along with Peter and Ace, we kicked doors open that stood in our way, and every band member who has stood with me at some point during these decades has played an essential part in turning that five year dream into a phenomenal 40 year reality. I thank each of you for your contribution to this milestone.

Our journey and victories are a joy I also share with you, our fans who have always given us the freedom to stand and fall on our own terms, and we have done both with a grateful smile. For the past ten years, Tommy and Eric’s pride and dedication have enabled Gene and I to reclaim and celebrate all that we have been, while continuing to move forward in a way that would have been impossible without them. I love playing with the band as it is today, and many of my proudest moments are tied to moments of magic we have created together in the studio and on the stage. I know we’re ready to do it again.

Humble thanks.

A special thanx to ALL of the Fans who have been with the band on this roller coaster ride called KISS for 40 years! I am honored to be a part of this machine and pay special respect to all members past & present. I especially want to thank Paul, Gene, Tommy & Doc McGhee for giving me a place to call home. And most importantly the Fans. YOU Fuel this engine!

At 40 years strong, I'm proud to be in one of the greatest bands in rock history. KISS is a band that is as full of life and vitality today as it was 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago. All eras of the band should be celebrated today. Long live KISS.

To the Kiss Army - who made it all possible for us.

To Paul, without whom I would never have been able to achieve my dreams.

And to the band - past and present, for continuing to treat the stage as holy ground and the fans as our bosses.

Here's to another 40 years!

On this day in KISStory - Forty years ago today, on January 30, 1973, KISS performed their very first concert at Popcorn (The Coventry) in Queens, NY. The band performed 2 sets at the club that night for a crowd of under 10 people.

Gene recalls how that show came about:

1973 was the beginning.

Wicked Lester had just finished its album for EPIC RECORDS. There were five members in the band, including Paul and myself. Though we had a real recording contract with a major label, and though we had finished an entire album, we were depressed. It just wasn't what we had envisioned.

So, we started again. We tried firing the other three guys in Wicked Lester, but some wouldn't leave. So, we quit.

We started again with a vision. 'Let's put together the band we never saw on stage.'

We got a manager named LOU LINET, who managed JF MURPHY AND FREE FLOWING SALT and DIANA MARCOVITZ (or something like that)...and when he heard the newborn baby -- KISS. He thought it was the worst crap he had ever heard. Needless to say, he was gone immediately. So, we were managerless.

I put together a bio kit, while I worked at the Puerto Rican Interagency Council, as assistant to the Director. Peter's friend owned a printing press and printed up our invites.

But, where to play? We didn't have a manager. We didn't have an agent. We never had.

I made a phone call cold to a place called Popcorn in Queens, NY and on the phone convinced the guy to hire a band, who would soon be changing their name from WICKED LESTER to KISS.

We got the gig -- three nights -- Wed, Thurs and Fri for the sum total of $150.

That was the beginning.

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Superman Lives Photo Reveals Nicolas Cage’s Suit

Superman Lives is the Warner Bros. film that never was, but the project might soon live again in Jon Schnepp’s planned documentary about the canceled Tim Burton project. With interest in the production at a high, DCU Movie has posted a new behind-the-scenes look at Nicolas Cage in full Superman regalia.

MAN Of STEEL - New Pics And Easter Egg

Man of Steel will grace the cover of Empire magazine this week and inside its pages are some new images from the film. Below you'll find two new photos featuring Russell Crowe as Jor-El and Michael Shannon as General Zod.

There's been mention that a classic Superman movie actor will be appearing in Zack Snyder's new Man of Steel movie.

There's been one guess already, that Annette O'Toole has a voice-over in the latest trailer, but she may or may not be the only one as it could also be -- Christopher Reeve.

The super sleuths over at SupermanJaviOlivares.com (via SupermanHomePage) have spotted what looks to be the Superman III Christopher Reeve Clark Kent (right) in a Man Of Steel set video.

In the following video, we see an extra on the street in the exact same suit, wearing the same hat and carrying the same briefcase (see left).

They theorize this could give Henry Cavill's Clark Kent the idea to use the glasses.

We did see Cavill don the glasses in an elevator seen, but we've also heard Snyder seem to suggest that he won't be using them and that he's keeping it real. So perhaps not?

More than likely it's just an Easter Egg. Still, super cool.

Man Of Steel : Zod Suit Revealed

Lots of new Man of Steel toys were previewed last week in France of Mattel’s line-up of action figures for Warner Bros. upcoming Man of Steel film. These images also give us our first real look at General Zod’s suit in the film.

CHARACTER CLOSE-UP : Darth Vader

Darth Vader (born Anakin Skywalker) is the central character of the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists of the original trilogy and as the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy.
The character was created by George Lucas and numerous actors have portrayed him. His appearances span all six Star Wars films, and he is an important character in the expanded universe of television series, video games, novels, literature and comic books. The films establish that there was originally a Jedi Knight named Anakin who fell to the dark side of the Force; he is also revealed to be the father of both Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa, the two main protagonists of the original trilogy. After turning to the Dark Side, Vader is a ruthless henchman of Emperor Palpatine; he secretly intends to overthrow Palpatine to establish himself as ruler of the Empire. Vader is ultimately revealed to have personal honor in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when he sacrifices himself to save his son, Luke.

Concept and creation
While the first draft of The Star Wars includes a tall, grim general named Darth Vader, the character came closer in line with his final depiction in the second revision. A character named "Anikin Starkiller" also appears in an early draft of Star Wars, playing a role similar to Luke Skywalker's, as the 16-year-old son of a respected warrior. Vader's mask was originally designed by Ralph McQuarrie as part of Vader's spacesuit, and not intended to be part of the regular costume. Brian Muir sculpted Vader's costume based on McQuarrie's design.
After the success of Star Wars, Lucas hired science fiction author Leigh Brackett to write Star Wars II (later retitled Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) with him. They held story conferences and, by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment called The Empire Strikes Back. The treatment is very similar to the final film, except that Darth Vader does not reveal he is Luke's father. In the first draft that Brackett would write from this, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct Luke. Lucas was disappointed with the script, but Brackett died of cancer before he could discuss it with her. With no writer available, Lucas had to write the next draft himself. In this draft, he made use of a new plot twist: Darth Vader claiming to be Luke's father. According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the year-long struggles writing the first film.
The new plot element of Luke's parentage had drastic effects on the series. Michael Kaminski argues in his book that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was clearly operating under an alternate storyline where Vader was a separate character from Luke's father; there is not a single reference to this plot point before 1978 (further reinforcing this is Obi-Wan Kenobi calling Vader "Darth", as if it is his true name rather than his new Sith name). After writing the second and third drafts of Empire Strikes Back in which the point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin Skywalker had been Obi-Wan Kenobi's brilliant student and had a child named Luke, but was swayed to the dark side by Emperor Palpatine (who became a Sith and not simply a politician). Anakin battled Kenobi on the site of a volcano and was badly wounded, but was then reborn as Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Kenobi hid Luke on Tatooine while the Galactic Republic became the tyrannical Galactic Empire and Vader systematically hunted down and killed the Jedi. This change in character would provide a springboard to the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" storyline that underlies the prequels.

For Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first film in the prequel trilogy, Lucas made Anakin nine years old to make the character's departure from his mother more poignant. Movie trailers for The Phantom Menace focused on Anakin, and a one-sheet poster showing him casting Vader's shadow informed otherwise unknowing audiences of the character's eventual fate. The movie ultimately achieved a primary goal of introducing audiences to Anakin Skywalker.
After deciding to create the prequels, Lucas indicated the series would be a tragic one examining Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. He also saw that the prequels could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "Saga".
Michael Kaminski, in The Secret History of Star Wars, offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make massive story changes, first revising the opening sequence of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith to have Palpatine kidnapped and his apprentice, Count Dooku, murdered by Anakin as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side. After principal photography was complete in 2003, Lucas made even more massive changes in Anakin's character, re-writing his entire turn to the dark side; his fall from grace would now be motivated by a desire to save his wife, Padmé Amidala, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were plotting to take over the Republic. This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during pick-ups in 2004.

Portrayals
Bodybuilder David Prowse's size and stature allowed him to fill out the large Vader costume in the original Star Wars trilogy, although stunt performer Bob Anderson portrayed Vader during the intense lightsaber fight scenes in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.[6] Sebastian Shaw originally portrayed the unmasked Vader in Return of the Jedi, although stock footage of Hayden Christensen replaced Shaw's appearance of Vader as a ghost in the 2004 DVD release. James Earl Jones, who provided the voice of Darth Vader, was initially uncredited in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back because Jones felt his contributions were too small to warrant recognition.
Jake Lloyd was chosen from over 3,000 prospective child actors to play Anakin in The Phantom Menace. Casting director Robin Gurland initially thought Lloyd was too young to play the role; however, upon another meeting several years later, Gurland believed Lloyd was an appropriate choice for the part.
Hayden Christensen played Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; he also donned Darth Vader's armor for the final scenes of the latter film. Mat Lucas voiced Anakin for the 2003 Clone Wars animated TV series and in various Star Wars video games, while Matt Lanter voiced the character in the CGI The Clone Wars film and subsequent 2008 The Clone Wars animated TV series.

Appearances

Films
Original trilogy
Darth Vader is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) as a ruthless cyborg pursuing the film's protagonists. Vader is charged with recovering technical schematics of the Death Star stolen by the Rebel Alliance, who seek to overthrow the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) tells Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that Vader is a former Jedi who "betrayed and murdered" Luke's father. Obi-Wan and Luke — along with smugglers Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) — help Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) escape the Death Star. Vader kills Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel, and later escapes the Death Star's destruction during the film's climactic battle scene.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), set three years later, depicts Vader leading an Imperial starfleet in pursuit of the Rebels. Emperor Palpatine (voiced by Clive Revill; portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in subsequent films), Vader's Sith master, tells Vader that "the son of Skywalker" (later revised to "the offspring of Anakin Skywalker") must not become a Jedi; Vader promises that he will turn Luke to the dark side. To this end, Vader captures Leia, Han, Chewbacca and C-3PO on Cloud City, using them as bait for Luke, who has by now been partially trained as a Jedi by Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). During a lightsaber duel, Vader cuts off Luke's right hand and reveals that he is Luke's father; he then entreats Luke to convert to the dark side and help him overthrow the Emperor so they can "rule the galaxy as father and son". Horrified, Luke throws himself into Cloud City's reactor core, ultimately escaping aboard the Millennium Falcon. Onboard his Star Destroyer, Vader telepathically tells Luke that it is his destiny to join the dark side.
In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), a dying Yoda confirms to Luke that Vader is indeed his father; moments later, Obi-Wan's spirit tells him he has a twin sister — whom Luke almost instantly divines to be Leia — and that he must confront his father to save the Rebellion. Luke surrenders himself to Imperial forces, hoping to turn his father back "to the light side". Vader brings Luke onto the second Death Star, where Palpatine tries to seduce Luke to the dark side. During their duel, Vader learns Leia's true identity and threatens to turn her to the dark side if Luke will not submit. Enraged, Luke attacks and overpowers Vader, severing his mechanical right hand. At the last minute, Luke realizes he is close to suffering his father's fate, and refuses Palpatine's command to kill Vader and take his place. An enraged Palpatine unleashes a torrent of Force lightning upon Luke, who begs his father for help. The sight of his son's suffering breaks the dark side's hold on Vader, who kills Palpatine by throwing him into the Death Star's reactor core; in the process, however, he is mortally wounded by his master's lightning. The redeemed Anakin Skywalker asks Luke to remove his helmet; in his dying breaths, Anakin tells his son that there was good left in him after all. Luke escapes with his father's remains, which he burns in a funeral pyre. The same night, the Rebels celebrate the destruction of the Death Star and the fall of the Empire, and Luke sees the spirit of Anakin standing alongside the spirits of Obi-Wan and Yoda.

Prequel trilogy
Anakin Skywalker appears as a nine-year-old slave in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). He is raised on the planet Tatooine by his mother, Shmi Skywalker (Pernilla August), who says Anakin had no father, implying miraculous birth. He is a gifted pilot and engineer, and has the ability to "see things before they happen". He even creates his own protocol droid, C-3PO. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) meets him after an emergency landing on Tatooine and becomes convinced the boy is the "Chosen One", foretold by a Jedi prophecy as the one who will bring balance to the Force. Anakin wins his freedom in a podrace, but is forced to part with his mother. Qui-Gon takes Anakin to the Jedi Council, who forbid training on the grounds that the boy's future is clouded by the fear he exhibits. During the invasion of Naboo, Anakin helps defeat the Trade Federation by destroying their command ship. After Qui-Gon is killed in a duel with Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park), his apprentice, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), promises to train Anakin, a proposal the Jedi Council reluctantly accepts. During the film, Anakin forms a close bond with Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), Naboo's queen. Palpatine, newly elected as the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, befriends the boy, telling him that "we will watch your career with great interest."
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), set 10 years later, depicts Anakin as Obi-Wan's Padawan learner. Palpatine assigns Anakin and Obi-Wan to investigate an assassination attempt made on Padmé, who is now a senator. Anakin travels with her to Naboo, where they fall in love. Anakin has a vision of his mother in pain, and goes to Tatooine, where he learns that Shmi had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. He goes to the Tusken camp, where he finds his mother, who has been tortured by the tribe; she dies in his arms. Anakin flies into a violent rage and kills the entire tribe. He returns with his mother's body, and tearfully confesses his crime to Padmé, who comforts him. Soon after, Anakin and Padmé travel to Geonosis, hoping to rescue Obi-Wan from Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and his army of Separatists; instead, they are captured and sentenced to be executed. Anakin and Padmé profess their love for each other moments before being rescued by an army of clone troopers and Jedi. Anakin loses his right arm in a lightsaber duel with Dooku; it is replaced with a prosthetic. At the end of the film, Anakin and Padmé marry in a secret ceremony.

In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005), set three years later, Anakin is a Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. He and Obi-Wan lead an attempt to rescue Palpatine, who has been kidnapped by Dooku and Separatist leader General Grievous (Matthew Wood). During the rescue, Anakin defeats Dooku in a lightsaber duel, and decapitates him in cold blood at Palpatine's urging. When he returns to Coruscant, he meets with Padmé, who tells him she is pregnant with his child. That night, he has a vision of Padmé dying in childbirth; he fears it will come true, as it is similar to visions he had of his mother before she died. Meanwhile, Palpatine names Anakin his representative on the Jedi Council; the Council, suspicious of Palpatine's dictatorial power in the Senate, denies Anakin the rank of Jedi Master, and asks him to spy on Palpatine, whom Anakin considers a friend and mentor. Angered by the snub and instructions to commit what he believes to be treason, Anakin begins to lose faith in the Jedi.
Palpatine eventually reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith lord Darth Sidious, the mastermind behind the war, and that the dark side holds the power to save Padmé's life. Conflicted, Anakin reports Palpatine to Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson). Despite orders to remain behind, Anakin follows Windu to the Chancellor's office to ensure Palpatine is captured alive. He walks in on Windu ready to kill Palpatine and intervenes on the Sith lord's behalf, severing Windu's lightsaber arm; Palpatine then kills Windu with a blast of Force lightning. Desperate to save his wife, Anakin pledges himself to the Sith as Palpatine's apprentice, Darth Vader.
Palpatine sends Vader to kill everyone inside the Jedi Temple, and then to assassinate the Separatist leaders on Mustafar. Padmé meets him there and pleads with him to flee Palpatine's grasp with her. He refuses, saying that the two of them can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy. When Obi-Wan emerges from Padmé's ship, Vader accuses her of conspiring against him and uses the Force to choke her into unconsciousness. Vader then engages Obi-Wan in a lightsaber duel, which ends when Obi-Wan severs Vader's legs and remaining organic arm in mid-air. Vader then slides too close to a lava flow and catches fire, sustaining life-threatening third-degree burns. Obi-Wan picks up Vader's lightsaber and leaves him to die.
Moments later, Palpatine rescues Vader and reconstructs his apprentice's ruined body with the cybernetic limbs and black armor first seen in A New Hope. When Vader regains consciousness, Palpatine tells him Padmé died as a result of Vader's anger. The news of her death breaks what remains of Vader's spirit, and he screams in torment. He is last seen alongside Palpatine and a young Grand Moff Tarkin (Wayne Pygram) viewing the construction of the first Death Star.

Expanded Universe
Animation
In the animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003), Anakin (voiced by Mat Lucas) is made a Jedi Knight despite the Council's reservations. During the next three years of fighting in the Clone Wars, Anakin becomes a legend throughout the galaxy, renowned as "The Hero With No Fear". Anakin's adventures in the Clone Wars are also chronicled in the Star Wars: Republic comic series. In the 2008 animated film The Clone Wars and the subsequent television series, Anakin (voiced by Matt Lanter) takes on Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein). In the episode "Ghosts of Mortis", he sees a cryptic vision of his eventual transformation into Darth Vader.

Literature
Vader appears numerous times in comic books such as Dark Horse Comics's Star Wars Tales and Marvel Comics' Star Wars series (1977–1986). Vader's Quest (1999) which depicts Vader hiring a bounty hunter to bring him information about the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, ultimately meeting Luke for the first time.
In the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978), Vader and Luke duel, and Luke cuts off Vader's right arm. Shadows of the Empire (1996) reveals that Vader is conflicted about trying to turn his son to the dark side of the Force, and knows deep down that there is still some good in him. In James Luceno's Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (2005), set a few months after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Vader disavows his identity as Anakin Skywalker as he systematically pursues and kills the surviving Jedi and cements his position in the Empire. The novel also reveals that Vader plans to eventually overthrow Palpatine, and that he betrayed the Jedi because he resented their supposed failure to recognize his power. The redeemed spirit of Anakin Skywalker appears in The Truce at Bakura (1993), set a few days after the end of Return of the Jedi. He appears to Leia, imploring her forgiveness. Leia condemns him for his crimes and banishes him from her life. He promises that he will be there for her when she needs him, and disappears. In Tatooine Ghost (2003), Leia learns to forgive her father after learning about his childhood as a slave and his mother's traumatic death. In The Dark Nest trilogy (2005), Luke and Leia uncover old recordings of their parents in R2-D2's memory drive; for the first time, they see their own birth and their mother's death, as well as their father's corruption to the dark side. In The Unifying Force (2003), Anakin tells his grandson, Jacen Solo, to "stand firm" in his battle with the Supreme Overlord of the Yuuzhan Vong. In Bloodlines (2006), Jacen — who has himself turned to the dark side — uses the Force to "watch" Anakin slaughter the children at the Jedi Temple and become Darth Vader.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF KISS!

SATURDAY SHOWCASE : Cool Artwork

J.J. Abrams To Direct Star Wars: Episode VII

Star Trek Into Darkness helmer J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII for Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm, reports TheWrap. The site says that Ben Affleck was also in contention.

Back in November, Abrams commented on the possibility of him directing and it sounded like it wasn't happening:

"Look, Star Wars is one of my favorite movies of all time. I frankly feel that – I almost feel that, in a weird way, the opportunity for whomever it is to direct that movie, it comes with the burden of being that kind of iconic movie and series. I was never a big Star Trek fan growing up, so for me, working on Star Trek didn’t have any of that, you know, almost fatal sacrilege, and so, I am looking forward more then anyone to the next iterations of Star Wars, but I believe I will be going as a paying moviegoer!"

TheWrap adds that Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy has been courting Abrams for the director's chair for a while.

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015. Michael Arndt is writing the script. Disney and Lucasfilm are planning a new trilogy with a new movie coming every other year.

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Orci & Johnson Talk Countdown To Darkness

From StarTrek.com

Countdown to Darkness #1 is out now from IDW Publishing, and it’s the kickoff to the four-part comic-book mini-series prequel to the May 17 big-screen adventure Star Trek Into Darkness. The Countdown to Darkness mini-series reunites Mike Johnson and Roberto Orci, who’d previously collaborated on IDW’s Star Trek: Countdown books in 2009. Johnson, of course, is a respected comic book writer, while Orci co-wrote and co-produced Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness, and oversaw both comic-book mini-series. Today, in a StarTrek.com exclusive, Johnson and Orci engage in a joint conversation about Countdown to Darkness.

Mike and Bob, let's go back to Star Trek: Countdown. How pleased were you with the overall story, the way it passed the torch from TNG back to the TOS-era characters, and the way in which it filled in the blanks of the Star Trek (2009) feature itself?

Orci:  I thought it was great. It was a fun challenge inspired by fan requests and curiosity about whether we were erasing previous canon with the new movie. We collectively hit on the idea of using comics as a way to hand off canon from The Next Generation to the new movies. It was something we would want to see as fans ourselves.

Johnson:  It was really gratifying to see fans embrace the original Countdown as way to connect the two timelines in a meaningful way. We worked hard to make it feel like an integral part of both the original timeline and the new one, and the response from fans was fantastic.

What lessons did you learn that you brought to bear on this new prequel mini-series?

Orci:  It was nice to rediscover the value of comics, particularly in an age where cross-media tends to be thought of in ones and zeros, all electronic, but here’s our old friend, comics, getting on the New York Times bestseller list and advancing Star Trek as much as any other form.

Give us some sense of the story. What can readers expect to read and see on the pages?

Orci:  Whereas the original Countdown was more of a farewell to the previous timeline, we really wanted this story to look forward. The 2009 movie established the characters and their relationships, and now the adventure begins immediately.

Johnson:  Rather than showing back story this time, we are really setting the table for the next movie here in ways that the original Countdown couldn’t because we hadn’t met the new Kirk and Spock yet. The scope is a big as the last series, but this one is full of things we haven’t seen yet in the new timeline, all leading into the mind-blowing events of the next movie.

Will we meet any new characters that show up in film? Will this end as the movie begins? Is the story tied directly to film or in a more thematic way? In other words, how of a piece is it with the new film?

Johnson:  We can’t answer without giving anything away, but I can tease you by saying that a character we have not yet seen in the new timeline shows up in Issue #1 and plays a critical role in the story. The mini-series will flow directly into the next movie, in the same way that the original Countdown did.

Mike, you had access to the Star Trek (2009) script when you were working on Countdown. How much access did you have to the sequel script and in what ways did it help you shape the new comics' story?

Johnson:  As with the first Countdown, I had access to the script. But, as people are aware, this film is wrapped in layers of secrecy that not even a rogue Romulan planet-drill could penetrate. And with good reason. But that access was invaluable when it came to creating a story that ties into the movie in a meaningful and effective way. There are other comic tie-ins that don’t have that benefit, but having it definitely leads to the best possible Star Trek story on the stands, which is our first priority.

Bob, what kinds of suggestions/direction did you give Mike in terms of fleshing out/filling in blanks of the sequel's story?

Orci: Make sure the story stands on its own. We don’t want to cannibalize the story of the next movie, but instead it should set up the movie as part of the necessary heartbeat of its own story.

Bob, what does it mean to you to have another writer to bounce story ideas off of?

Orci:  I’ve been doing it since I was a senior in high school with my writing partner of 20 years, Alex Kurtzman. So it’s very comfortable.

For both of you, Countdown was extremely successful and you did NOT have to read it to enjoy film. If you did, though, it added dimension and back story to how we got to the point of the Kelvin being hammered. How tricky is it to create something that's strong enough as a standalone, yet fits in like a puzzle piece within a larger canvas?

Orci:  It’s a 9.5 out of 10 on the tricky scale.

Johnson: The comic has to connect without spoiling, but as Bob said it has to stand on its own. There’s an element of reverse-engineering to create a story that sets up the movie, but reverse-engineering will only take you so far. At a certain point you have to forward-engineer, as Keenser would say. It is very much a puzzle, but a fantastic one, and hopefully all the edges are smooth.

Countdown was all Prime Universe happenings. We understand this one won't be. Is that accurate and, if it is, will there be any further Prime Universe connections?

Johnson:  No Prime connections in this one. The priority is exploring this new reality.

Orci:  We were so lucky that fans embraced the new timeline. And our instinct now is to leave well enough alone and let this timeline stand on its own.

Bob, what's the overall writing/story philosophy for non-film Trek endeavors in the J.J.-verse. What's the approach?

Orci:  The approach is to ignore the medium and focus on the story. Don’t make a distinction between comic and film and anything else -- and just focus on making it Star Trek.

Is there anything in the other Trek comics related to the film that we may have missed already?

Johnson:  There are bunch of little hints that we’ve put in the ongoing Star Trek comics series that Bob is overseeing. None of them are the kind of thing that can spoil anything in the movie, but the idea is that, like the original Countdown, you can go back and read them and say “Hey! They totally set that up in the comics months before!” It’s been sneaky fun putting them in there.

How canon is this?

Orci:  We get asked that a lot, and it’s our understanding that canon is that which is filmed. As a strict Constitutionalist, I don’t support a change in the definition of canon during my tenure. Perhaps future courts can take up the issue, but in the meantime the comics are as close to canon as you can get without being on film.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 With Geoff Johns

From DC Comics.com

This winter, the DC Universe will witness the birth of an all-new team of superheroes: The Justice League of America. Hitting stores on February 20, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 comes to you from the creative team of writer Geoff Johns and artist David Finch, and features an unpredictable roster of characters, including Vibe, Catwoman, Steve Trevor, Martian Manhunter, Simon Baz, Stargirl, Katana, Green Arrow and Hawkman.

But how will JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA vary from JUSTICE LEAGUE?

“When I was thinking about whether or not a second Justice League title would work, essentially, I wanted to make sure that if I was going to write another team book it was had it's own point of view, its own purpose both creatively and in the bigger DC Universe,” Johns revealed to MTV GEEK. “So the Justice League has been positioned as like the A-list, the big iconic superheroes, and the Justice League of America is a very different team. As evident by the initial lineup, it's not a team of A-listers. I think the biggest A-lister on there is probably Green Arrow, who knows it and flaunts it a little on the team. But the team is built with potential and that's really what I wanted to dive into because I've always loved the big heroes, I love the big seven. Batman's great, Superman's great, but there is something that I've always really enjoyed about getting into characters that you might not have looked twice at. Green Lantern, before we relaunched it with our rebirth, I think we obviously expanded the fan base of the character. Working on JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, I like delving into characters like Mr. Terrific and Doctor Midnight that people might not know very well, they might have heard of, but their judgment is a little quick. It's the same thing as Aquaman and so I wanted to create a team of characters that people would look at and wonder what the hell we are doing. In a good way hopefully. I wanted to create a group of characters that had potential and it's all about unlocking potential for me. The characters that I really enjoy writing and I gravitate towards are characters that might at first glance feel less than other superheroes and that's the whole point of the Justice League of America. It's all about finding characters who you have low expectations for and hopefully they surprise you both in story and in the universe. Designing this book to be all about finding the potential in you no matter who you are is what, for me, makes the book a lot of fun to work on.”

“JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA has its own big storyline and its own big world its creating that starts right off with issue #1 and delves into a darker corner of the DC Universe that we have yet to explore,” Johns teased to NEWSARAMA. “And that's going to be villains. That's a big piece of what the JLA is. It will play a big role in Trinity War, but a big role in the DC Universe after that as well. We've got it planned out through 2013 and beyond.”

To read more from Geoff Johns about JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 and the launch of this eagerly-anticipated new series, head on over to MTV GEEK, IGN, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, NEWSARAMA and COMIC VINE to read the full interviews that ran today with the acclaimed writer. And don’t forget to pick up your copy of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 when it flies into stores next month!

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