Coming this week is the next chapter of DEATH OF THE FAMILY and while Joker has been wrecking havoc in the Batman universe, this promises developments that will lead to the resolution of the series next month with the last issue BATMAN #17. In the meantime take a peek to what’s in store in this issue:
(Scans courtesy of CBR. Full viewer can be found HERE)
Coming out this week on print, is another Joker story in the pages of the LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #4, and probably the best Joker story of the series so far (I have read the digital version). Hope you concur with my assessment, now enjoy the preview:
Curious?
We all knew that Nolan was not going to give any reference to Heath Ledger’s character in DARK KNIGHT RISES out of respect, and that with me is fine as I don’t think ‘replacing’ the character with another actor would have been fair for either Ledger’s legacy or the Joker’s presence in the series. But no one ever said anyting thing of the novelization…right?
And it seems that as a means of adding closure to Nolan’s Joker, Greg Cox dwells in the idea of what might have happened to him. Here is ZergNet’s report:
Fans of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy films might wonder where the insane criminal mastermind ‘The Joker’ had scampered off to when prisoners were freed from the newly constructed Blackgate Prison in Gotham City. Well, the novelization of “The Dark Knight Rises” may shed some light on the Clown Prince of Crime’s whereabouts.
Scheduled to be released today on-line and in bookstores, the 415 page The Dark Knight Rises: The Official Novelization by author Greg Cox delves into the Jonathan and Christopher Nolan screenplay a little closer. Original rumors had Heath Ledger’s Joker make a cameo via unused footage from 2008′s “The Dark Knight,” but it panned out as such. Warner Bros. Studio later confirmed it was just a rumor. Cox provides better details and lets fans know about the shady and ambiguous fate of the Joker. Here is the exact quote from the novel .
“Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible for the city’s criminals to cop an insanity plea, it (Blackgate Prison) had replaced Arkham Asylum as the preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure. Not even Selina.”
Remember Selina Kyle (Catwoman) was held at Blackgate Prison for a short time. By using her feminine wiles, she would have had ample opportunity to find out from other inmates the location or whereabouts of the Joker.
From a historical standpoint, Adolf Hitler’s Deputy Leader of the Nazi Party Rudolph Hesswas convicted and sentenced to life in Spandau Prison on Oct. 1, 1946. He was the sole occupant from 1966 until his apparent suicide in 1987. By applying this form of punishment to Nolan’s Joker, there would be no one to talk to or play with. Thus, driving the ‘Man Who Laughs’ into the further depths of his madness.
Note: Greg Cox is the New York Times bestselling author of several hugely popular Star Trek novels. He has also written successful novelizations and tie-ins for Countdown, Infinite Crisis and many more. Cox is a consulting editor for Tor Books and was nominated in 2008 for the Best Speculative Adapted Scribe Award for 52: The Novel.
report:
Fans of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy films might wonder where the insane criminal mastermind ‘The Joker’ had scampered off to when prisoners were freed from the newly constructed Blackgate Prison in Gotham City. Well, the novelization of “The Dark Knight Rises” may shed some light on the Clown Prince of Crime’s whereabouts.
Scheduled to be released today on-line and in bookstores, the 415 page The Dark Knight Rises: The Official Novelization by author Greg Cox delves into the Jonathan and Christopher Nolan screenplay a little closer. Original rumors had Heath Ledger’s Joker make a cameo via unused footage from 2008′s “The Dark Knight,” but it panned out as such. Warner Bros. Studio later confirmed it was just a rumor. Cox provides better details and lets fans know about the shady and ambiguous fate of the Joker. Here is the exact quote from the novel .
“Now that the Dent Act had made it all but impossible for the city’s criminals to cop an insanity plea, it (Blackgate Prison) had replaced Arkham Asylum as the preferred location for imprisoning both convicted and suspected felons. The worst of the worst were sent here, except for the Joker, who, rumor had it, was locked away as Arkham’s sole remaining inmate. Or perhaps he had escaped. Nobody was really sure. Not even Selina.”
Remember Selina Kyle (Catwoman) was held at Blackgate Prison for a short time. By using her feminine wiles, she would have had ample opportunity to find out from other inmates the location or whereabouts of the Joker.
From a historical standpoint, Adolf Hitler’s Deputy Leader of the Nazi Party Rudolph Hesswas convicted and sentenced to life in Spandau Prison on Oct. 1, 1946. He was the sole occupant from 1966 until his apparent suicide in 1987. By applying this form of punishment to Nolan’s Joker, there would be no one to talk to or play with. Thus, driving the ‘Man Who Laughs’ into the further depths of his madness.
Note: Greg Cox is the New York Times bestselling author of several hugely popular Star Trek novels. He has also written successful novelizations and tie-ins for Countdown, Infinite Crisis and many more. Cox is a consulting editor for Tor Books and was nominated in 2008 for the Best Speculative Adapted Scribe Award for 52: The Novel.
Maybe is not much information, but by Santa Claus that this quote has sparked my inner writer again in wondering what happened to Joker during those missing years…OH THE POSSIBILITIES…
The Guys at EW.com have gained access to a nifty preview for the upcoming issue of BATMAN #15 coming next week. Here is is for your enjoyment:
SUMMARY:
COVERS
PREVIEW:
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Heath Ledger as the Joker in director Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight film. Many fans of the franchise feel that the actor truly defined the Joker for film in a way unlike anyone before, which is why it is so interesting that initially, when Nolan first met with Ledger prior to the production of his first film in the franchise (Batman Begins), Ledger was against the idea of acting in a “comic book movie.”
Nolan had met with Ledger early on when he was putting together “Batman Begins” because he was meeting with most young actors in Hollywood at the time. And Ledger politely explained to the director why he would never be involved in a comic book film.
It was only after the release of Nolan’s first venture into the Batman mythos that Ledger realized Nolan’s vision for the character and the film, and for the comic book movie genre. Because regardless of whether you enjoyed Nolan’s Batman trilogy, flaws and all, his way of making the genre “relatable” completely redefined comic book movies. At last, superheroes could be ground in a sort of realism, or as Nolan calls it, “relatability.”
The term “realism” is often confusing and used sort of arbitrarily. I suppose “relatable” is the word I would use. I wanted a world that was realistically portrayed, in that even though outlandish events may be taking place, and this extraordinary figure may be walking around these streets, the streets would have the same weight and validity of the streets in any other action movie. So they’d be relatable in that way…You feel these things in a way because the world isn’t intensely artificial and created by computer graphics, which result in an anodyne, sterile quality that’s not as exciting…If I can believe in that world because I recognize it and can imagine myself walking down that street, then when this extraordinary figure of Batman comes swooping down in this theatrical costume and presenting this very theatrical aspect, that’s going to be more exciting to me.
And perhaps it is that “relatable” quality that has made his franchise such a tremendous success. Even Ledger’s Joker, as creepy as he was, was sort of grounded in reality. He was psychotic, twisted and very, scary and setting him in a “relatable” and “realistic” environment only served to enhance Ledger’s onscreen performance as this very dark, twisted character. The heralded director of the film franchise recently spoke at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, New York City as part of the Film Society’s “An Evening with…” The event, which was hosted by Scott Foundas (Variety)focused specifically on Christopher Nolan’s experience as director of the Batman trilogy, and one of the most compelling points of the discussion that evening was Nolan’s reflection on Health Ledger’s performance in the second film. It seems that when Nolan first met Ledger, that it may have been for the role of Batman, which he politely declined. Yet Nolan went on to describe how meticulously Ledger studied the Joker’s character before he really “found” him.
Ledger spent months and months obsessing on and thinking about how he would play the character. Nolan sent him some materials, like Anthony Burgess’s novel “A Clockwork Orange” and some work by painter Francis Bacon, just “tangential” things that fed into his vision of the Joker…”Like a lot of artists, he would sneak up on something,” Nolan said. “So you couldn’t really sit and go, ‘Okay, you’re going to do the Joker. You’re going to show me what it’s going to be.’ You had to sort of say, ‘Let’s read this scene. Don’t act it, just read.’ And he’d sit with Christian and there would be a line or two where his voice was a little different, throw in a little bit of a laugh…The voice, though, worried the director at first, he said, because of its odd shift in pitch. “He had figured out this whole thing that was all based on the Alexander Technique, where if you hit a high note, you’re then able to hit sort of two octaves below afterwards,” Nolan said. “It’s a way of lowering your voice. So you had this character who you’d never quite know which way the pitch was going to go of his voice. Just as in his physical movements — you don’t know how he’s going to move; it’s always a surprise — the actual tone of his voice was always a surprise, too. Sometimes it would go incredibly low and threatening and other times it was light, in a way.”
The interview reveals that Ledger was in fact quite nervous about his portrayal of the Joker, and explains that the actor had to go to a very dark place for the role. In general, however, The interview is a great piece of commentary by the director of a franchise that truly changed the superhero movie genre, whether we want to admit it or not and it is great insight into how Ledger’s Joker came to be.
(original article written by Sara “Babs” Lima for ComicVine HERE)
Newsarama contributor Vaneta Rogers had an interview with writer SCOTT SNYDER who revealed details of the continuing “Death of the Family” story arc and where Joker is heading in his plans to erradicate Batman’s allies.
Newsarama: Scott, there have been quite a few developments since last time we talked. But probably the most revealing thing we’ve learned about the plot you’ve crafted for this story is that you’ll be revisiting important places from past encounters between Batman and The Joker. How does this tie into your exploration of The Joker as a character, and what does it provide to the story overall?
Scott Snyder: Yeah, I really love framing the story this way because, on the one hand, it is like The Joker is sort of running through his “greatest hits” with Batman and being able to say, you know, “Look at all the great times we’ve had together.”
And you’re going to see a lot more references coming up: everything from Joker-Fish to Five-Way Revenge to Death in the Family. Joker will reference those in incredibly creepy ways.
As much as we wanted it to be there as something fans that know those stories can see and enjoy, we also wanted to have them presented, if we did reenact them through Joker, in a way that would make the fresh, you know? And also make them accessible to new fans.
It was a really fun line to walk for us. We wanted it to be something that would pay tribute to all the great Joker stories in the past and keep them in continuity, and then at the same time, to not depend on readers knowing those stories to enjoy our bigger story.
So it was definitely both fun and very tricky.
Nrama: In issue #14, he seemed to be way ahead of Batman, because he knew what was going to happen and just finished that part of the story on his own, wanting something more. But he seems to be delighted in the Batman. He loves him in his own twisted way, doesn’t he? And feels he’s going through this plan to help him?
Snyder: He really believes in his heart that he’s doing Batman the favor that Batman can’t admit he wants done, which is, he thinks that Batman regrets having accumulated this family because he knows that it makes him slow and weak and all of this stuff, and worried about the world all the time, the way a father would.
And again, like we talked about last time, with me being a father of young kids, that’s where this story came from. It’s that sense
of constant worry about your kids and wishing once in awhile you could just turn it off or put it on pause, you know? But not being able to. And that’s part of being a family.
And that’s the perfect point for someone to come up and whisper in your ear: “I heard that. I heard you think you would love to have just a minute of pause or a minute of refuge from worrying about these people you love. So let me make that easy for you and kill them all, and then you won’t have to worry, because deep down, I know that’s what you want.”
So that’s what Joker believes about Batman, and he’s going to be sort of making his case throughout this story, as to why Batman loves him more than the family, and he loves Batman more than the family loves Batman.
Nrama: The back-up was interesting too, because not only did The Joker bring other villains into it — which we know was coming from solicitations — but you added to the layers of Joker’s relationship with Batman by talking about this “religion of crime” in Gotham and how they’re really all just worshipping Batman.
Snyder: Yeah, I love that art too, the way that Jock has them with their hands tied, dead, in prayer position.
Nrama: Wasn’t that in the script?
Snyder: Yeah, yeah. That was in the direction. I just now love seeing it visually. It was so creepy the way he presented that.
Nrama: This issue also established that The Joker knows the secret identities of the Bat-family. Or at least he says he knows them, right?
Snyder: For us, that’s part of the driving horror and mystery of the story. They were afraid that this is the claim that the Joker is going to make, and now he made it. He’s saying, “I know everything about you. I’ve been in your house. I’ve been under your bed. I’ve been in your closet. There’s nothing that I can’t kill in your life or hurt to break you.” And it’s sort of your worst nightmare.
If that’s true, and what he says is true that Bruce essentially is at fault for that somehow, that’s going to drive the conflict. The question of whether or not what he’s saying is true all around is part of the driving conflict, or is the driving conflict of the story, when it comes to the family and Bruce.
So Joker is playing a game with them, where he’s saying, “I know it, and wait until you see how much I know.” He’s saying, “Wait until you see. I’m going to prove it to you. But I’m not just going to come out and say your names, because that would be too easy. I’m going to show you little by little that I have irrefutable evidence that I know exactly who you are.
And as that evidence mounts, the tension really ratchets up between the family and Bruce. What Joker said in #14 is that it’s Batman’s fault, because he wants this to be the way it is. He wants me to come after you deep down.
Nrama: We also get a really good, close look at Joker’s face in this issue. We also get to experience Greg’s portrayal of The Joker’s interaction with Batman, as he’s moving so unpredictably when he’s talking to him. He also told us in our recent interview that he’s going to be utilizing the flies around Joker’s face in a creative way to help tell the story. We’ve talked before about how important he is to the creation of this book, but can you describe his role in this story in particular?
Snyder: These issues coming up are just amazing. Issue #15 has some of my favorite moments in the whole story. There have been preview images already that show Bruce talking to the whole family.
That conversation, and what transpires between them, is at the heart of the entire story. And to have them all together in costume — Barbara included — isn’t something I’ve had a chance to do yet. I’ve had them working in their own books, and I’ve had them in different ways, like you’ve seen Damian and Dick and Tim with Bruce. And you’ve seen Nightwing with Batman. But to see the family united, at least in location — they’re not united at all in terms of how they feel about each other right now — but having them there together is a tremendous thrill as a writer.
Batman #15 Preview:
Greg’s work on the issue was so important to getting this entire story right, because issue #15 has the big, emotional showdown between the Bat-family characters, as to whether or not they believe what the Joker is saying is true. And the emotion that Greg is able to bring to issue #15, I think will blow people away. It’s a testament to Greg’s ability, the expressiveness of the intimate scenes, where there isn’t bombastic action, or gruesome horror happening — there’s just emotional tension. I was looking at the pages, and even without the dialogue, you can feel exactly what the characters are feeling, panel to panel.
And then issue #16 and #17 just go completely berserk, in terms of what The Joker has planned. So you can only imagine how amazing those are going to be. The pages coming in so far from #16, where some of the more twisted things happen, are just completely out of control. So something like including the flies was completely his idea, and the idea of The Joker’s face kind of rotting and rotting as this story goes on.
So he contributes not only these amazing ideas on the page, visually, but he also contributes great story ideas. He couldn’t be a better partner, honestly. It really is a special relationship.
I’m very close to all the artists I’ve worked with — you know, Rafael and I are extremely good friends, and Jock and I are really good friends, and Yanick and I are friends as well, and you know, Sean Murphy and other artists. I’ve always tried to cultivate relationships with them outside of work too.
But Greg has really become somebody I talk to on a daily basis. We visit each other with our wives and go out to dinner and try to go to cons together. So I can’t say enough good things about him both as a person and an artist. And I can only say that this stuff coming up in #15 and #16 and #17 shows such a range of his incredible skills, that I’m really, really, really excited for people to see.
And two of the guys I just want to mention really quick — the unsung heroes, I think, of the team — are FCO, the colorist, and Jonathan Glapion, the inker. They just work overtime for this one too.
We have a really good team. We’re really super tight, all of us. We’re not really interested in doing anything else right now, in terms of looking for projects individually in different places. No one’s splintering off from this team. We’re really committed to Batman and Gotham for another year.
Nrama: You’ve obviously talked about what’s coming up in the next three issues of the story arc. And I know that last time we talked, you said there would be an explanation for why The Joker allowed his face to be removed. Is there anything else you want fans to know about that’s coming up?
Snyder: I think the great thing about what’s coming up is that we’re just getting started. Issue #13 was just The Joker saying, “I’m back, and I have a plan.” And issue #14 was him saying, “Here’s the beginning of my plan. Here’s me telling you that I know who all of you are, and I’m going to bring you down one by one. In fact, I’m going to present you to Batman, and Batman is going to be the one that kills you in three days from now.”
So if you think about it, he’s really just set things in motion. You know what I mean? So the stuff coming up in #15 is the aftermath emotionally and what happens between the Bat-family.
And issue #15 has a really big secret, also, that’s going to come out
Issue #16 and #17 are just completely bat-sh!t crazy, in terms of what he has planned for them, in terms of the psychological, emotional and physical horror of the story.
And I would just say that The Joker has already said that he’s planning something of a celebration at some point. So I can promise you that it’s going to be the craziest, most twisted thing we could possibly do in this book.
So I’m really excited. I just finished it, actually. I just finished #17. It has my favorite ending that I’ve ever done. So I’m really, really excited about it.
And I promise you that the best stuff is still coming in this story.
Nrama: Then to finish up, is there anything else you want to tell fans about Batman?
Snyder: I definitely want to tell the fans thank you. I just found out that the sales on Batman #13 rival Batman #1, and we couldn’t be more thankful that fans have been so supportive. I think both of us — the creative team and the fans — have really created something special with this book.
(Original interview posted by Vaneta Rogers at NEWSARAMA)
…and how pretty he is. I think though he remains true to his comic book character (with a face…(smile it is a joke!)) I also think he reminds me a little of CESAR ROMERO’s Joker…maybe in the face, but mainly in his slightly curly hair. I would love to see what new moves this Clown is hiding under his sleeves and if there are going to be extra skins to put on in in the game. Probably, they are doing it with the other characters too…
Anyways, HERE HE IS…IN ALL HIS GLORY
And according to NETHEREALM’s Ed Boon:
One thing we do know for sure, however, is that that The Joker — who was recently revealed as a playable character — will have an “integral” role in the story of Injustice: Gods Among Us.
“The Joker is front and center on the front of our box and there’s reason he’s front and center,” Injustice: Gods Among Us producer Hector Sanchez hinted to us.
“He’s a very integral part of our storyline in the game and is kind of the center piece of what’s going on,” he added. “Knowing how chaotic The Joker’s personality is, you can imagine how loopy and out of this world our story is.”
I found this amazing pumpkin carver’s work in the web, he does amazing works of art and this time he did a wonderful CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME. Just look at this masterpiece and a fast paced summary of the artist’s work. The master-carver is ANDY BERGHOLTZ.
I didn’t know THIS could be done with a pumpkin…..
And here is the time-elapsed video of the creation:
And another time elapsed video of the creation process…
The guys at CBR have a nifty sneak peek at the upcoming CATWOMAN #13 (a prelude to the Joker story arc in the Bat-titles), an issue that helps set the gears in motion for Joker’s confrontation with the Feline Femme Fatale. Without giving much away of the preview, I like the way the mystery is woven at the beginning. A memory that ‘was taken away from Selina”? Really? What secret does Joker know about Selina to force her to her knees and surely out of the Batfamily??
I guess we’ll just have to read the whole issue that goes for sale this WEDNESDAY (October 17) at your local comic book shop. Please click on the picture below to be taken to the preview at CBR.
I was going to tell my on impression of the panel, but found a much more detailed recollection of the events that transpired in the panel. Here is CBR repor which is basically a transcript of the panel. My insights are indicated in bulleted items in italics:
In the last day of the Comic Book Convention in New York DC brings the creative teams of most of his Batman titles for a summary of where it is heading with the Joker return and the future of the titles.
At the New York Comic Con DC Comics: Batman — Death Comes To Gotham panel the writers and artists behind the Batman family of titles at DC Comics gathered to speak to fans about the books and the Joker “Death Of The Family” storyline begun with “Batman” issue #13.
As scores of fans bearing Batman and Court Of The Owls masks poured into the crowded convention hall, Moderator and DC Entertainment SVP of Marketing John Cunningham began the panel by introducing the panelists: artist David Finch (“Batman: The Dark Knight”), writer Kyle Higgins (“Nightwing”), writer Gregg Hurwitz (“Batman: The Dark Knight”), writer Grant Morrison (“Batman, Incorporated”), writer Scott Snyder (“Batman”), artist Greg Capullo (“Batman”), colorist FCO Plascencia (“Batman”), inker Jon Glapion (“Batman”), writer Peter Tomasi (“Batman & Robin”) and writer James Tynion IV (“Talon”).
“Don’t kill Nightwing!” fans from the audience yelled at Higgins as the panelists sat down.
“Why does Nightwing have to be Dick?” Higgins countered as the audience laughed and gasped.
Snyder then showed the image for “Batman” issue #16 where Joker grinned at the audience, festooned with costume parts from Robin, Batgirl and all the other Bat allies. Snyder said Joker believes that he truly is Batman’s jester and it’s his job to challenge Batman because “He believes if Batman survives them he comes out stronger, he’s a better king,” Snyder said.
“A year ago he allowed his face to be cut off…and he also has a secret on Batman that’s going to come out later on,” Snyder said adding, “Joker [says to the Bat allies], ‘You don’t deserve him….I’m going to show you how he loves us more than you and he wishes you dead, and then we’re going to make you dead.’”
- Joker wants to involve all the other Bat-foes, because he sees them as he sees himself, serving society by securing the strength of the Batman. It is the foes duty to make sure the king is strong and so be the best Bat-king he could be
- In Joker’s mind: “My doings will make him [Batman] stronger”
- Joker is convinced that the Batman has gone astray and the presence of the Batman family is a mistake that has made the Bat-King weak, and sees the need to eliminate the whole family so this ‘wrong’ could be righted and his king could regain his strength and be the Bat King he deserves and his city deserves
Capullo then admitted he read the internet buzz over the comic and asked the audience if they thought “Batman” lived up to the hype, smiling as the audience screamed back in unison, “Hell yes!”
“He’s so nice…but behind that mask, he’s got this deep, dark black well that’s a very frightening place — I’m afraid of the guy!” Capullo joked about Snyder as the audience laughed.
“I’ll call him about what the Joker should do…and he’s like, ‘Hold on, I’m at a soccer practice. I’ll be right there, kids! So he’ll cut off his own face,’” Higgins said as the crowd laughed again.
Cunningham then brought up “Batman Incorporated” writer Grant Morrison and artist Chris Burnham as the audience cheered.
Talking about “Talon” Tynion told the audience he didn’t want to spoil too much about the storyline but promised, “new characters, brand new corners of Gotha’s history to explore,” Tynion said.
The audience gasped as Higgins brought up an image of “Nightwing” wearing the Joker’s makeup and grinning like the Joker under his mask. “I was walking on the show floor and people are building the sticks from the Gotham City game…the fact there are things people are making from a character I’m working on is awesome,” Higgins said.
“I don’t want to get into what the Joker perceives about Nightwing’s [fears]…but it ties into and dovetails into everything we’ve been doing for the first year and a half now, with Dick’s nest in Gotham,” Higgins added.
Batman group editor Mike Marts took to the podium and asked the audience if there was any better group of creators at the con, to which the audience screamed in unison, “Hell no!” He then showed cover images for “Batgirl,” “Red Hood” and “Teen Titans,” all also looking like Joker.
Tomasi showed the image for “Batman and Robin” #16 where Joker-faced Damian and Batman fight each other. “It’s been great to explore this cool character Grant created and take him to some hard places emotionally,” Tomasi said of his book.Tomasi also told the audience there was a “kick-ass” cover by Andy Kubert coming out soon for the “Batman and Robin” annual.
Marts labeled the “Catwoman” Joker tie-in as, “Lots of fun,” adding that seeing Ann Nocenti’s Catwoman take on the Joker.
- Catwoman has always dancing between good and evil, and now she will dance the real prince of evil and this will affect her deeply.
- In the JLA panel was revealed that Catwoman will be part of the newly developed JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA along with Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, and other new and old characters.
An image for “Batman Incorporated” issue #7 came up on the screen and Morrison told the audience, “We’re not part of ‘Death Of The Family’ but we do have family and there will be death!”
Labeling the issue as the wrap-up of everything he’d been working on and that issue #5 would revisit the future Damian world. “There’s things I’ve never done with Batman before that I’m doing in this storyline,” Morrison added.
“Batman: The Dark Knight” issue #15 was the next image teased showing Scarecrow and Batman. “This story just gets bigger and darker and enormously grand in this huge scope,” Hurwitz said. Marts showed an image of new “Dark Knight” artist Ethan Van Scriver’s beginning of Batman showing Batman climbing out of the Mad Hatter’s hat.
“The one guy I wanted more than anybody else was Ethan,” Hurwitz said, adding, “I called and…the first thing he said was, ‘Hey I’ve been looking into you all morning because I heard Finch is leaving the title!’”
Fans then rushed to the floor microphone as Cunningham opened the floor to audience questions and Marts told the first fan questioner that there were no plans to involve Huntress in the “Death” storyline.
“Harley has a really big story in Suicide Squad with Joker,” Snyder told the next Harley Quinn fan, adding that readers will see more of the Red Hood gang after the Joker story, before launching into the next arc that may involve the Riddler.
A Scottish fan asked what Morrison thought of Snyder’s work and vice versa.
“Grant’s probably the greatest influence on me as a writer…his fearlessness, issue to issue and to take these visionary ideas…seeing that play out is something that, even though our writing is different, challenges me,” Snyder said.
“Scott Snyder who?” Morrison joked as the audience laughed. He then told the audience more seriously, “Having to keep up with him is great, it’s inspiring me to do better work…this is the best time to be a Batman comic fan, and a Batman movie fan.”
A fan who Morrison advised to try magic out four years ago told him, “It worked!” He then asked if what the Bat group was working on would actually change things forever.
“Yes, it will,” Snyder assured the fan, explaining that the Joker idea organically arose from the writers. “It’s not like there’s one big death and that’s it…each book is changed because the Joker challenges the characters in each one of those books…and that will have massive ramifications,” Snyder added.
Higgins told a “Nightwing” fans that there was no Titans cameos coming up but Dick had adventures with some of the old Teen Titans. The audience then cheered and whistled as the fan pleaded for a Tim Drake solo book.
The next audience member to the microphone wanted to know if there were plans for Bat Cow. “We’re taking Bat Cow on the darkest journey he’s ever been on,” Morrison joked.
“I just called Bat Cow him, but he’s a lady!” he added as the audience laughed.
Snyder stated that in his mind the Batman continuity stood, but he didn’t want to trip up fans with trying to talk about every single detail of the past decades. “We’re moving forward with him as a character who has a rich history,” Snyder added.
To a fan who labeled himself a Damian fan Morrison asked the audience, “Do you remember when people hated Damian?”
“It’s a likeable hate!” Tomasi said as the audience laughed.
The panelists stated what they loved about Batman, all of them citing the fact that he has no superpowers — he’s a man yet has to tackle “his inner demons” to fight for good.The next audience member told the panelists he loved how each one had such a distinct tone.
“No one’s ever mistaken me for Grant Morrison,” Higgens joked.
“Who wants to watch me shave Kyle Higgins?” Morrison asked as the audience laughed.
A man dressed as Starro ended the panel by asking what Joker though what Batman’s mission was and why he wanted to make them stronger. “Joker sees himself and the villans as Batman’s real family and having the family is forsaking his family…he doesn’t see it as Batman as serving his mission, he sees it as being abandoned,” Synder said, closing the afternoon’s panel.
ADITIONAL COVERS
(The panel is reprinted from CBR transcritp posted HERE today)
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