Over on Metagame Ben Kalman's April 14th article about the JLA set design had this little tidbit...

Regarding ideas that didn't make it into the set, Ben writes: (emphasis is mine)
"—Majestic for Team Superman. Although I’m not sure how the Wildstorm license works—whether or not he’s allowed into a DC set—his interaction with Superman in his first DC mini-series (which was fairly new around the time we were working on the set) would have made an interesting segue into the Wildstorm Universe. The funny thing is that I didn’t have any idea about dual affiliation—I had nothing to do with set design—and so I had no idea that Dr. Fate would be previewing the Shadowpact team affiliation. It would have been über-cool to have included a dual-affiliated Majestic in the legacy Team Superman, but also with Wildcats.

Now, this is just rampant speculation, but could lend merit to the folks who belive that the superman starter was cancelled for a WildStorm release...

Thoughts all?

I think this could get crazy. He was already mad about the other thread with his name in the title.

I think that was the best behind-the-scenes article that has ever appeared on Metagame, and I know for a fact that they check those things tight so if you found what you think you found then you have skills.

I think many people will be thoroughly entertained by this thread either way.

Fascinating conspiracy theory... it would be insanely cool if you are right, just for the mind-expanding possibilities of a third license in our game.

I think the phrase is too ambiguous to be counted as evidence for or against the theory.

From the way Kerg describes it, it sounds like Mr. M was rejected from DJL for space reasons, so the question of whether or not it would even be legal to include him in the set never really came up. Furthermore, we already know that Kerg is a big Wildcats fans, so this just sounds like wishful thinking on his part.

Hrm, I read it as Kergy was wondering if having the DC license allowed UDE to print characters under the Wildstorm comics banner.

I noticed the same thing, and almost sent him a message to ask, but dismissed it for the same reasons Bizarro said.

At first, I was just thinking it was a bit of wishful thinking on Kerg's part, but the more I think about it, the more I want my Wildstorm Universe set... friggin' conspiracy theorists...

I'm just wondering what their villainous teams would be, since I'm not as familiar with the newer storylines.

I honestly don't think kergy meant anything by it other than it'd be freakin sweet if we got wild storm teams. However now kergy has made me go a bit more crazy thinking how awesome it would be if there were a majestic in vs :ermm: .

I pretty much agree with all you assesments above - just thought it was interesting given what we do - and don't know about what is behind the superman set.

Kergy mentioing it, I think is interesting in that it seemed it was given consideration for at least a second, and could have been the impetus behind an eventual Wildstorms set (if that is indeed what is replacing the Superman starter)

However, if a Wildstorms set IS announced in the next month or so, I'll be back to say See I told you so...

That line has nothing to do with the Superman starter. It's referring to the JLA set.

When Matt asked for Legacy ideas, I threw out a bunch of them. Being a Wildstorm fanatic who loved the initial Majestic mini-series that took place on Earth-1 and directly involved Supes and Eradicator (and you gotta LOVE the Superman #1 cover with majestic instead of supes -lol-) I thew out Majestic as one of the possibilites for Team Superman.

The reason it wasn't chosen? Who knows? Because Matt already had Kelex in mind? Because of licensing issues? Because someone didn't think it would be a good idea to stir the pot? Maybe he just doesn't like Majestic? Or he thought it would confuse people? Or maybe Majestic doesn't fit in with the JLA theme he was angling for?

We could speculate all day and I could come up with a hundred reasons - but you're looking at the wrong person. Matt is the only person who knows the real reason, and I'm sure he'll never tell =)

Researchers are not the ones to question why. We just throw out ideas, and they're either accepted or not. There's no secret conspiracy going on =)

And believe me, if there was a WS set or starter coming out and I knew about it, I would beg and pester everyone I know at UDE until they either had me killed or let me tell someone. That's the one secret I would be very pressed to keep -lol-

Kergy = ####ING BEAN SPILLER!!!!

There are ####ing beans all over the ####ing place! I'm drowning in them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SUPER-HERO MEAT TO GO WITH YOUR BEANS KERG???

:squareeye

oooooookay there Torch =)

Why do I suddenly feel like I'm on the cover of The Who Sell Out...?

I think I'm the one who started the idea that the Superman Starter could have been cancelled for a Wildstorm set. I said it in the "Superman Starter Cancelled" thread as it was winding down.

As I said in that thread, I have no knowledge whatsoever of anything UDE is working on, but it did seem to fit all the criteria for what was going on at the time (cancelled starter for someting big, something DC-related, WS getting a big fall push in the comics, etc.). And, even if UDE isn't doing a WS set soon they still should... and will eventually I'm sure.

What I do know is comics. I read them and about them constantly and have way more than any one person should. Predicting these VS sets, while not an exact science, isn't really that hard. UDE is simply cashing in on the advertising the comics companies are doing themselves. It would be foolish for them to abandon "free advertising." Obviously, I'm just stating the... well, obvious. :)

Infinite Crisis is ending... release a set about it. The Annihilation minis and series will focus on Marvel's cosmic characters this summer... release a Galactus set. Using that line of thought, I think it's probably a decent guess that the first Marvel set of next year will focus on the Civil War event, maybe primarily on the Avengers/FF/Heroes for Hire and whoever else plays a big role in that. Civil War will be wrapping up at the end of 2006 so it only makes sense that the first set of 2007 will capitalize on it.

I'm just trying to figure out what the Legion of Super-Heroes have planned for this winter? I have been reading rumors on the web and in Wizard that Infinite Crisis writer Geoff Johns has "an ever bigger epic he'd like to write" and I just read where George Perez said the one book he's never gotten to draw, that he really wants to, is the Legion... and he and current Legion writer Mark Waid are working on a comic (Brave and the Bold) soon. Sure it's just a bunch of circumstantial evidence and associations... but I did say I knew comics... and apparently have too much time on my hands! :) This Legion stuff is all just my speculation and reading between the lines.

Anyways, UDE will release a WS set eventually as they'd be foolish to leave money on the table. They tried to go the independent route in HeroClix and I don't think that was too successful... so maybe they're trying to figure out a better approach. HeroClix did recently start releasing small sets focusing on smaller universes and groups (Alien Green Lanterns and Marvel 2099 for starters) so I could definitely see UDE doing that with VS. Maybe they're waiting to see how well HeroClix does with these sets before they move on something like WS or their own 2099 set.

I love this game and hope it's around for a long time. And this speculation is a lot of fun too.

Well, the Legion of Superheroes is also going to be the next major DC cartoon. It will be released in September on Kids WB. So there is your free advertising tie-in. :)

I do find it kind of odd that it will be Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, when the current comic of LoSH is Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes, AND the JLU cartoon had an episode recently ("Far from Home") where Supergirl goes to the future...and joins the Legion of Super-Heroes...and stays in the future. Yet they are going with Superboy for the series. Huh.

Think about the show's target demographic for a second, and it will all make sense.

"Well, the Legion of Superheroes is also going to be the next major DC cartoon. It will be released in September on Kids WB. So there is your free advertising tie-in."

Yep thanks, that would be the tie-in! :) That makes perfect since for the set then.

... well, I hope Geoff and George Perez are working on something else together anyways! :)