Superman reinvented: Man of Steel, Wonder Woman kiss for first time

(CBS News) Superman kissing Wonder Woman?

Yes, if you can believe it - the Man of Steel has finally stolen a kiss with his longtime superhero cohort.

Superman, Wonder Woman kiss in new "Justice League" comic

Many comic book lovers thought it would never happen, but DC Comics knew it had to keep the aging Superman brand relevant.

"We are not here to just sort of safeguard these treasures, we're about keeping them contemporary, moving them forward," Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment, told CBS News. "That means adding things to the mythology, and that means taking chances."

Lee, who drew this month's cover with the canoodling couple, says the company realized how much was riding on the super kiss.

Lee said, "We've actually planned this for about two years so we've put a lot of thought into the moment itself, and the ramifications and the repercussions of this kiss and how it affects the entire DC universe."

Last year, DC Comics re-launched "The Justice League," a monthly comic book featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Green Lantern, whose love life was in the spotlight earlier this summer when he announced he was gay.

The new "Justice League" series features familiar characters, but their history is brand new.

Lee said, "We've been publishing for 75 years. Sometimes you kind of forget how convoluted these stories can get, so when you remove the barnacles off that ship, and start fresh, it's just very inviting."

Raphael Soohoo, of Midtown Comics in New York City, says fans just have to accept the new realities of the DC universe.

"Forget everything you knew about Superman, Wonder Woman, and Lois Lane," he said. "It's a completely new paradigm just, you know, Superman and Wonder Woman are together, and we're just going to have to live with that."

Comic books still command a loyal following, but the big money is in the movies. With the success of the "Dark Knight" Batman franchise and "The Avengers," perhaps a Wonder Woman and Superman blockbuster is around the corner.

"The movies are terrific, but they're originally-based...(on) the comic books," Soohoo said. "I think people tend to forget about them. So why not do something in the comics that's amazing, that's big, that's huge. Let's completely start over, re-do everything, and I think that's what the magic of this is. New rules, new universe. You can do whatever you'd like."

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