Seeing the phrase “Star Wars Burlesque” in your twitter stream is a fairly good sign that the 2010 comics convention circuit has begun in style. The biggest news out of Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con has so far been that Detective Comics has won a GLAAD award for Rucka and Williams’ Batwoman feature and that Boom! have launched a Darkwing Duck comic book (“Let’s get Dangerous!).

Comics Alliance and Pop Culture Zoo have notes on the DC Nation Panel where the opening questioner (Pop Culture Zoo:  “a distraught fan”) challenged the DC panel (include James Robinson) over the dead (“fridging”) of Lian Harper in Cry For Justice.

From Comics Alliance:

James Robinson: “That decision [was] a controversial and one that I know has been greeted with some displeasure by some people… I’m sorry if it upset people. In all honesty, they wanted to kill Speedy too, and I said no, so give me some credit for that.”

Ian Sattler: “I’m happy it upset people because it means that the story had some weight and emotion.”

I wish I was surprised that DC had wanted to kill Speedy off. People aren’t upset because the story had “weight and emotion.”  They’re upset because the story was badly told!

Pop Culture Zoo also noted a comment made later in the panel:

The next big reveal was from Robinson, who said he will be revisiting Opal City with a new Shade series down the road. Asked about an appearance from Jack Knight, he gave no answer. Staying with Robinson, he emphasized that while readers may be upset with Green Arrow’s current direction, the outcome will make everyone happy in the end. Star City will be one of the greatest cities in the DCU.

Nice to hear that the Shade is coming back and that there are plans for Star City. However, I think the issue of Harper’s death and the current direction of Green Arrow is going to be an issue that runs for most of the convention season.