Over the past decade, writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason have enjoyed great success together on "Green Lantern Corps" and "Batman and Robin." This June they'll reunite for "Superman," now shipping twice monthly as part of DC Comics' line-wide Rebirth relaunch.

While many characters will be in the spotlight as Rebirth begins, perhaps none will be under as much scrutiny as Superman. Why? In "Superman" #52, the finale of the New 52 run, the Man of Steel died. Most of the comics world was focused on the shocking reveals contained in "DC Universe: Rebirth" and glossed over the death of Superman, as well as the fact that he wasn't the only Man of Steel to bite the big one in the issue.

Since the start of "The Final Days of Superman" arc, the New 52 Superman was revealed to be sick and dying from Kryptonite poisoning. In "Superman" #52 he flew the solar-flare-powered Superman (formerly known as Denny Swan) into space, absorbing his final flare, which ultimately killed them both. Now the DC Universe is left with the Superman that existed before "Flashpoint" gave birth to the New 52 (whose adventures have been unfolding in "Superman: Lois and Clark"), and his son Jonathan and wife Lois are along for the ride too.

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With Gleason joining Tomasi as co-writer on the new "Superman" ongoing series and the book double-shipping, Doug Mahnke, who recently provided art for Gleason's "Superman/Wonder Woman" arc, will split artistic duties with Gleason. Inker Mick Gray and colorist Jon Kalisz, both long-time Gleason collaborators, are also on board, which gives the distinct feeling of putting the band back together for this moment in Superman's history.

CBR News spoke with Tomasi and Gleason about killing off Superman, launching the new series with a new Superman and a new status quo, and the importance of family to the stories they'll be telling in Rebirth.

CBR News: Were you actually trying to outdo Dan Jurgens. You killed not one but two Supermen in "Superman" #52?

Peter J. Tomasi: That was the key factor. I had to outdo Dan Jurgens. [Laughs] That was my main mission. The story and the characters dictated how that should all play out. It was daunting and fun and crazy to write all eight issues and actually ship them all on time -- and have really good artists to bring it all to life. It was a real pleasure and honor to do a story like that and I'm happy to see that people seem to be enjoying it.

I liked Denny Swan as a character. Or at least, I liked his origin as Denny himself was a bit of a knob. But was he misunderstood? Fans have lamented for the past three years over Zod's death at the hands of Superman in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" but now we have two Supermen teaming up to kill Solar Superman. Were you worried about any backlash?

Tomasi: I wasn't really worried about it. He was playing into a course of action that he had to take at that point. He tried every which way. He tried to talk him down and really tried to do everything that he could to get him off the ledge, so to speak. Superman was obviously sick and dying at the same time, so his window of opportunity was closing for stopping this unstable character from killing innocents at such a high level. The decision was to absorb all of his stuff but the guy also blew up. It was a fine line because in my mind, I also saw the evil Superman's power was also getting to a peak where he couldn't even control it. He was going to blow and die on his own so Superman basically beat him to the punch. He really more absorbed it as the guy went nova, so to speak. In my own head, he didn't really kill him as much as act as a big sponge. [Laughs]

Okay, what about the other death of a Superman -- the death of New 52 Superman. Obviously, killing Superman is a big deal but I feel somewhat a sense of closure that pre-Flashpoint Superman is back to being Superman in "DC Universe: Rebirth." So basically, everything is back to normal... right?

Tomasi: It was really interesting to explore. I didn't play the two Supermen as best buddies. He only really saw him from afar. He knew that he wore an 'S' and that he was a superhero, and that he lived on this world. He was a good person that did right by the world. In the end, he came in to try and help a situation and they really didn't get a chance to interact. It was more of a mutual respect of two people that wore an 'S' like two marines meeting each other at a [Veterans Center]. They may not know each other -- two different wars, one could be from Iraq and one could be from Vietnam -- but there is still a mutual respect. The New 52 Superman feels that connection immediately and he can see that the pre-52 Superman is coming to do good and he right away understands it and makes sure that he is out of harm's way because he knows bad stuff is coming.

Do "Superman: Rebirth" #1 and "Superman" continue to follow this storyline or does "DC Universe: Rebirth" allow us to move past multiple Supermen and multiple timelines like pre-Flashpoint and the New 52?

Tomasi: "Superman: Rebirth" #1 is very different than the other "Rebirth" issues because we had the pre-52 Superman and the New 52 Superman co-existing at the same time. "Superman: Rebirth" #1 is a real bridge. It's Pat's and my mission from the first issue to make sure that we understand who this pre-52 Superman is. What makes him tick? Who is he? What are his hopes and dreams? We want to make it so we can easily translate and transition to "Superman" #1 so that readers are right there with us. If readers followed the eight-parter, they will have gotten a lot from it but they can also come right in at "Rebirth" and boom, acclimate to everything right away because I feel that it's a very accessible issue that bridges right into the new series.

Gleason: We really wanted to make sure that anyone could pick up "Superman" #1 and read it. "Superman: Rebirth" is a bridge but in "Superman" #1, it will be very clear that this is Superman. There won't be many questions that it's him. There will be echoes of New 52 Superman and the world that Superman is now stepping into will remember him but it will be very clear that this is Superman.

Tomasi: The threads will dissipate slowly. We're not going to keep hammering home that stuff. We want there to be a sense that we are turning the page and beginning a new era with new adventures and new problems that the pre-52 Superman will obviously have different perspectives on as we move forward.

Gleason: He's going to have his hands full. There's a lot and we're going to hit the ground running. He's really going to have to step up to a lot right at the beginning. We won't be looking back. We'll be looking forward.

RELATED: SUPERMAN'S "REBIRTH" COSTUME CONCEPT ART REVEALED

"Superman" #1 opens with a famous quote from Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Is it safe to say this ideal drives your take on Superman?

Tomasi: To me, that line encapsulates everything about Superman. He cannot stand by and watch bad stuff happen. He just can't; it's just not in his DNA. He doesn't even think about the repercussions. It strikes him right in the moment. Is something happening? Is someone in danger? That's all that counts. "I have to do good. Right here. Right now."

Gleason: He has to do the right thing -- no matter what. I think now that we're dealing with the family aspect too, we've deepened that meaning. It's one thing to take a stand for something but it's another thing to do that with your wife and your child looking on and having to be that example. I love that line.

Tomasi: It's all about choices. And sometimes, it's about making that choice to do the right thing is exploring it. Will there be reverberations? Will there be repercussions? And you never know. Superman doesn't think that way. He looks at it and goes. He's proactive and reactive at the same time. He's not going to think about it, but of course there are repercussions from choices.

Up, up and away. Since your first arc is called "Son of Superman," is it safe to assume Jonathan, his son, plays a major role in this series?

Gleason: Spoiler alert but yes, he does. [Laughs] We're having a lot of fun exploring these different relationships for Jon. He's the kid in all of us. Everyone at one time or another sees Superman in action and it's very different when he's your father. He looks up to him but it's different. It's a great way to step into "Superman" #1.

Tomasi: It really shows Superman through the eyes of another.

Gleason: And Lois plays a big part, too. She loves him and she looks to him and they look to each other. And I think that's something that's hard to find in a lot of stories. To see a family unit operating in this situation and maybe it seems cliche to some people but it's the world around them that pushes them close together. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Pete and I talk quite a bit about our own families and our own kids and how we draw from our own lives. Everyone can relate to one aspect or another. It's a lot like we had with "Batman and Robin" and the relationship that we had with Damian and Bruce. There are a lot of similarities but they are definitely night and day different at the same time.

Tomasi: I think there is a lot of desire for some stories to be told like that. Based on what we hear at cons and talking to fans and readers. People want to see their lives reflected back in these superhero stories and done in such a way that makes it more humanistic. It just feels more real. The book is called "Superman" so there's no getting around it. Our star is Superman but the first arc deals with the family dynamic. And coming out of the first arc, there will be stories with them doing adventures all together. There will be adventures with them apart. We'll be doing Superman by himself. It's a book starring Superman but with his family as the supporting cast, it allows us to do a bunch of different kinds of stories, which Pat and I are really excited about doing. We're going to ring out as much heart and excitement as we possibly can.

Gleason: The line that Pete and I came up with, and I don't know if it actually shows up anywhere, but it's really about 'truth, justice and family.' It's the things that are important and need to be in a comic book. It's got to be fun. It's got to have action. But it also has to have what important to all of us and writers and artists and fans and that's family. I read the message boards and I go to cons. Superman is about more than action. This is a Superman that we want to be proud of and we want to root for. The stuff that we have coming up and the stuff that we've been talking about have me really excited. It's really great. And some of it is crazy. [Laughs]

Tomasi: Pat's right. If there was a house ad or a poster, that's how we saw it. "Truth, justice and family." Family is universal. There is no getting around it.

Gleason: Whether you like them or not. [Laughs]

Pat, the final question is for you. Can you talk about Superman's look in the new series? Have you made any significant or subtle changes to him?

Gleason:As you know, I'm not the only one drawing it. Doug Mahnke, who I share a studio with, is drawing it too. We're hand and glove drawing all of this stuff together. But in my mind, whenever you change books, there is an opportunity to change your style. If you wanted to do something in one book, but haven't had a chance to do it, it's your chance. With Superman, it's so different. I spent years in Gotham City and this is a totally different look to that. To be able to switch over to Metropolis, it's allows for a whole new set of tricks to be pulled out of the bag. There are things that I've just never drawn. I drew a nice field the other day. [Laughs] I never drew any fields in Gotham City. There are all of these new things to draw. It's also more challenging with all of the light, which is a lot like "Green Lantern Corps." There is a sci-fi, high adventure aspect to it and I think the key is just tapping into the emotion, the body language, the faces, things like that because that's what I like to make the cinematography of the book to come alive. It makes the characters come alive so that's what I focus on.

I also have my team of [colorist] Jon Kalisz and [inker] Mick Gray and they've been great. They've been by my side for better and better for a long time. They put up with a lot of my stuff [Laughs] and they're work looks great. Pete and I have talked about it but it's really like putting the band back together. There is a familiarity that we have and a short-hand that I have with the people on the art side of the book that makes it really fun and I hope that all comes across in the artwork.

"Superman: Rebirth" #1 goes on sale June 1.