Greg Capullo | My Site

Batman #35 ENDGAME: The Scott Snyder Interview

DC Universe, DCU, Interview, Joker, new 52, News, Preview No Responses »

Oct 232014

BAT35-00 The guys at Comic Book Resources had a very nice interview with DC writer Scott Snyder about the new storyline ENDGAME that started in Batman #35 and marks the Joker’s return to Gotham. Here is part of that interview. (For the whole interview visit our friends at Comic Book Resources HERE)

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for “Batman” #35, on sale now.

You’ve probably heard by now that 2014 is Batman’s 75th anniversary. One thing that’s been missing from that celebration thus far is his perennial archenemy the Joker, who hasn’t been seen in DC Comics’ storylines since 2012’s “Death of the Family” by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo — where the Clown Prince of Crime attempted to craft a fatal schism in the Bat-family.

With this week’s “Batman” #35, Snyder and Capullo launched “Endgame,” a six-part storyline that had been shrouded in mystery before release. And now readers know why: In the last page, it’s revealed that Joker is back, and apparently has raised the stakes: Controlling a Joker-ized Justice League targeting Batman, all part of a larger plan yet to be revealed.

CBR News spoke with Snyder — whose Image Comics series “Wytches,” illustrated by Jock, also debuted today — about the issue, which he says is the first part of Joker “moving on” from Batman with one final plot. And given that the opening shot involved the combined powers of the Justice League, Snyder said things only get bigger from here

CBR News: Scott, as revealed in the last page of “Batman” #35, the Joker is back! You wrote a major Joker story, “Death of the Family,” not that long ago, in 2012. As that story closed, did you know you’d be coming back to the character at this point? Did you have these plans in mind, at least loosely?

Scott Snyder: I did. Really, it was when I began writing it that I realized it would need a closing act. It was just really a matter of when we were going to do it. While I was writing “Zero Year,” I kind of had this thing in the back of my mind as a story that we’d eventually return to. It just became a question of what was the best time to actually launch into it. Ultimately, I thought about doing it about six months from now, but I kept looking at the date, being like, “It’s Batman’s 75th anniversary!” I remember one of my friends was like, “It’s also Joker’s 75th anniversary at the end of that.” “You know what, we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to do it then.”

It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. It’s the conclusion, I think, to the arc for us with the Joker as a character that really began in “Death of the Family” in terms of his psychology.

How has the Joker changed at this point? Where do we find him in this story? If he’s controlling a Joker-ized Justice League, that seems to be an upgrade.

He’s changed a tremendous amount since the last time we saw him, and this story is really sort of an inversion of the other one — we would never want to do something that felt, in any way, repetitive. For us, if that one was sort of a comedy, or was about him saying, “This story is all about friendship and love and this sense of immortality and you coming with me and your villains, who are your true family, who are your royal court — we’re the ones who transformed ourselves into these eternal figures, because we saw you do it, and we have transcended our bodies and death to become these things of legend and to give meaning to what we do” — and Batman rejects all of that in “Death of the Family,” where he says, “No, what makes me stronger is my humanity — the people that love me and the people I love as Bruce Wayne.” In doing so, he severed all ties with the Joker.

This time, the Joker’s back to say, “Actually, your life means nothing. Your life is a joke, and the fact that you think that it has any kind of significance or meaning, what you do, and that it has an effect on things in the greater picture, is laughable, and I’m here to prove that to you.” So this one is really about hate. [Laughs] And death and suffering — tragedy as opposed to “Death of the Family.” If that one was happy, this one is sad. But, that said, it’s not going to be centered on a character dying or going after one person — Joker’s really here to say, “I am out for all of you. I’m here to burn everything down this time.”

When the story was first announced months back, all that was really revealed was the title: “Endgame.” It was clear both you and DC were not looking to disclose anything further. Now that the first chapter is out, can you tell us if this is this Joker’s endgame against Batman — or the world at large? What can you share about the significance of that title, now that we know Joker’s the villain?

Joker’s saying, “This is the end of us. This is it. This is the last Joker story of ‘Batman and Joker.'” Joker is moving on, is what Joker would say. So it’s really the end of the game played between the two of them.

For him, he’s funeral. He’s ready to end everything with Batman. For us, it’s incredibly fun to write him in this psychological state, because it’s no-holds barred. It’s the kind of thing where nobody is precious, no one matters, he’s out to prove a point and to make Batman feel like his life is meaningless. In that way, he’s incredibly vicious and incredibly fun.

His plan is huge — you can imagine, if we open with the Justice League Joker-ized, we’re not going to go smaller from there. [Laughs] It’s very, very big, and very out of control, and a lot of fun to write. I don’t want to say I’ll never write the Joker again, because I always feel like you do that, and then 10 years down the line you get some opportunity and you become a hypocrite about it. But I would say this is really the concluding chapter for us for the Joker, given the relationship we’ve created between him and our version of Bruce Wayne, for this run of “Batman.”

You say things are going to get bigger, and already in this issue, we’re seeing the Justice League, and the scale of it already seems to be on a different level. You’ve told very big stories in “Batman” so far, but a lot of those stories were very personal, and also Bat-universe-centric. This feels like maybe a bigger, superhero “DC” story. Is that fair to say?

I don’t want to give the impression that it’s going to pull in people from all corners of the DCU. I’m not up for that kind of story in “Batman” right now. The reason that Joker pulls the Justice League in is to send a very specific message — and it is a warning shot. The story gets bigger from there.

That said, the cast is pretty Batman-centric going forward. You’re going to see some people I think that will surprise you; good and bad, new and old. It will involve everybody in a way that I think we haven’t really had a chance to do as widely as this story will do it.

Really, it’s a celebration of Batman and Joker’s 75th anniversary in that way, where we’re trying to show how far-reaching their influences are on other characters, how big their relationship is, how long a shadow it casts over Gotham in general and the DCU.

…

Is his face going to be reattached?

Well, his face is over with Joker’s Daughter. Although he has it at one point in this story — spoiler! I would imagine he would need a face. I wouldn’t have him walking around with a mask, or something like that. Without giving too much away, I think it’s safe to bet that he will probably have a face of some kind, yes.

Also wanted to ask about the back-up stories written by James Tynion IV for this arc, with the one in #35 rather moodily drawn by Kelley Jones. What can you say about the plan for those back-ups, and how they’re working in tandem with the main narrative?

They’re great. They’re connected to the main narrative in that they follow the things that are happening to Gotham, and are happening to the characters that you see in “Batman” itself. But essentially James’ mission when we discussed them, we talked about the possibility of him doing five stories really that give different origins for the Joker. Different tales of how he is capable of doing what he does, and who he is. That’s the narrative there — even though it has a plot, and it has a very dark place that it’s going.

It’s also a celebration, artistically, of great Batman artists both past and present. So you’ll see that people that I think you’ll really be excited and shocked to have return to Batman in different capacities. It really is like a big birthday party for Joker and Batman — though they would argue whose birthday it really is. [Laughs]

SDCC 2013: Joker’s references in Snyder’s ZERO YEAR?

Conventions, DCU, new 52, Preview, Uncategorized No Responses »

Jul 212013

Joker seemed to have been defeated at the end of DEATH OF THE FAMILY, but the truth is that the clown is a part of the Batman mythos from beginning to end. At least that is what writer Scott Snyder revealed in a panel yesterday about his run on the current BATMAN: ZERO YEAR storyline. Here are a few things he let out for the fans to figure out.

…Snyder narrates a page from issue #23, out Aug. 14, with Bruce Wayne confronted by The Red Hood Gang. There are a lot of secrets revealed in that scene, Snyder says…

In another part of the panel, Snyder continues:

…Issue #23 will contain a scene between Bruce Wayne and Alfred that Snyder says is “very personal” to him.

“Our Alfred is saying, ‘Bruce, you need to mean something. You need to matter,” Snyder explains.

In regards to any possible Joker connection, Snyder says the villain is a key part of his overall vision for Batman. “He haunts Batman forever. He haunts this story, and every story.”…

And finally, the burning question:

…Does the Red Hood Gang play into the origin of The Joker? Snyder: “You’ve got to read #24.”

Well, I guess the Jokerholics will have to wait a little longer to see how he fits the Joker in the ZERO YEAR storyline, and makes me wonder if he’s going to favor any of the tens of previously told Joker origin stories to tie him to this stage of Batman’s crimefighter life. We’ll wait patiently Mr. Snyder, your talent has not disappointed us yet

OH AND DON’T FORGET that Joker will have a small cameo September’s VILLAIN MONTH in a new (?) Joker/ Batman story set to develop in the pages of BATMAN #23.1

(For a full transcript of the panel visit NEWSARAMA.COM HERE or COMIC VINE HERE)

Greg Capullo Speaks Joker and Batman #15

Comic Book Art, Interview, Joker, new 52, Preview, Reviews No Responses »

Nov 152012

Our friends at CBR have scored another fantastic Joker article, with an interview with BATMAN series artist Greg Capullo where he talks about the current DEATH OF THE FAMILY story arc, BATMAN #15 as well as his takes on Batgirl and the Robins. Please enjoy it and for more information visit the site.

REMEMBER BATMAN #15 is on sale DECEMBER 12, folks!!

CBR News: At NYCC 2012, you spoke about how you see Batman as a single, solid silhouette. In “Batman” #15, the whole Bat family gathers together. How do you visually approach drawing them? Is it with that same eye for shapes and silhouettes you use with Batman?

Greg Capullo: No, because I see Batman as an entity onto himself. For me, what I’m trying to do is capture what I know of their personalities and maybe put that into their body language, their facial expressions, their hand gestures, what have you. But no, that monolithic shape is reserved only for Batman! Anybody posing next to him always has to look less than him, so that’s just the equation.

In the very first issue of the “Batman” New 52 relaunch, readers saw most of the unmasked Bat family together — at least all the Robins. That’s a big group of handsome, blue-eyed, black-haired guys. How do you approach depicting the personalities of each one in a visual way and differentiate between these sort of similar-looking characters?

Well, again, I try and make them a little bit different — it’s like when you look at the faces of models. They all sort of have the same features but somehow look a little bit different, it’s like a trick of nature I guess. But body language is a lot easier, especially when you have a character like Damian who’s just brimming with attitude. I’ve got a ten-year-old stepson at home and Damian’s ten, so I have some reference to what ten year olds are about — even though our kid’s nothing like Damian! [Laughs] So with Damian I’m giving him almost hip-hop poses in a couple of things, that gangster attitude in a couple of shots, because that’s more in line with his personality. It’s just more or less playing it up like that, saying, “How can I make it different?” Batgirl’s got a strong personality, so I try and make her stand a little bit proud. I try to play off those things and sometimes it’s small, whether it’s a tilt of the head or the way she’s bending her leg or whatever. I try to make it all natural.

“Batman” #16 leads into the big showdown between Joker and Batman — do you feel issue #15 is more of the calm before the storm, or is it more frenetic than that?

There’s some explosive stuff that happens in #15, it’s definitely not a sleeper issue! But things definitely get more macabre as we move forward into #16 because now we’re going into the Asylum; just by virtue of that things will get kooky! If you’re paying attention the Joker, he’s going to be taking over. He’s remodeled all of Arkham Asylum so it’s going to be Arkham Asylum like you’ve never seen it before. You’ll see some familiar faces and some — I don’t want to spoil things — but it’s big, crazy, off-the-wall stuff that’s been so much fun to draw. It took such restraint not to Tweet off a million pictures! [Laughs] It’s stuff that you would never expect to happen, there’s even animals, there’s everything in this issue! I’m telling you, Scott’s putting me through the paces on this one!

During “Night of the Owls” when Batman was in the Court’s maze you played with a lot of surreal visuals, like the image of Batman turned into an owl. For this story it sounds like the Arkham Asylum stuff is approaching that level of surrealism. Are things a little more abstract, a little more disconnected from reality?

I don’t know if I would call it that or define it quite that way. I mean, some crazy stuff is happening, for sure, but Batman is not on acid this time and so he’s not having such crazy hallucinations. He hasn’t been starved of food so his mind is not quite degraded to the point where we’d see some of that crazy surreal stuff. But the setting itself — some of the things Joker has set in place for Batman and I came to enjoy — are quite surreal just by virtue of what they are. There’s no need to play it kooky. You don’t have to bend the angles or give it a fish-eye lens on the scene, just what is in the scene is crazy and disturbing enough. You could do old-school Jack Kirby six-panel grids and the content is just messed up, the content itself delivers the goods!

Preview page 11:

Going into issue #15 and #16, were there any definitive Joker artists or ways Arkham has been portrayed that influenced or inspired the way your Arkham and Joker look?

Not really so much. Certainly, Scott was inspired by certain stories or what have you, but for me it was a conversation with Scott. Scott said the Joker’s face was cut off. Wow! Ok, I missed that one, what do we do? One of the things he mentioned which was pretty much the only prerequisite is he said, “I want the skin to be stretched really tight so that he’s got the biggest Joker smile that we’ve ever seen.” That was one of the directions he gave me to go on, so I said, “Yeah, alright, we can do that, we’ll have some hooks and stuff we’ll pull it real tight!”

What’s great now is he’s not a one-trick pony — there’s a scene where Batman punches Joker and it busts loose! So then you got a character that, like how you adjust your necktie or fix your hair, he’s got to actually fix his face. And not like women fix their face, he’s got to reattach hooks and stuff! It provides a lot of expressions you could never possibly achieve without this vehicle. Also, even though you have all this fear and dark stuff, you have this black humor. To me it’s funny when he’s fixing his face! It’s kind of sick because it’s his skin and it’s falling off his face, but it’s funny at the same time. But maybe I’m messed up because I laugh at that!

As the artist on the flagship Bat-book, do you talk to the other artists and architect the crossover in a way similar to the writing process?

No, [editor] Mike Marts has me usually provide some art so I gave them my looses sketches, nothing finished, and I go, “Here’s how the face works and here’s where the hooks are and here you go, have at it.” The Joker at some point will don some familiar apparel and some of those artists are ready to roll with that but I’m not, so I set aside some time and put together how I plan on doing that look to shoot that over to them. Being the lead guy, so to speak, I have to provide for the guys, “Here’s what this is going to look like,” when I get to it so we keep up continuity.

Back in “Batman” #1 we actually saw a version of your Joker — albeit really Dick Grayson in a disguise — before he took off his face. How had your concept for the villain changed or stayed the same from then to when you and Scott began talking about “Death Of The Family?”

Again, Scott really wanted him to look less wooden dummy-ish with the big nose and the big chin, because that’s not so much the guy you’d expect to ever really meet. In that respect I both trimmed back and the chin and the nose, and as far as from my own perspective based on what I heard from issue #1 I said, “No way is he going to have that hair-do! I’m just going to give him straight-forward, time-tested, fan approved hair!” [Laughs] And that’s how I kept it! So the only cognizant thought I had was to not do the Heath Ledger hair — I don’t want to get stoned by fans while I’m at conventions!

Not only are you doing the interior art, you’re also doing the covers, each one showing a sort of faceless or shadowed Joker. Do the ideas from the covers spring from the themes of the issues or are these images you’ve had in mind for a while?

Usually what happens when there’s a cover the first thing is to find out what’s going to be taking place in the issue, so I’ll say to Scott, “Got any suggestions for the cover?” He’ll say this, this or this, and sometimes I’ll throw all that away but it inspired something else entirely different. Or I’ll go, “That’s awesome! I really want to do something with that!” The one where he’s wearing all the different [Bat allies’] apparel, I think that might have been Scott’s idea, saying “He’s wearing so and so’s this, and so and so’s that,” and me going, “Yeah, that’s cool, man!”

The last cover, issue #17, which I am very happy with the way it came out, he had a completely different idea for it. I like to make iconic, simplistic designs for covers and the other thing would have been more like an illustration for the interior, I didn’t really want to do that. So I go, “How can I take the essence of what Scott is saying and make an image out of that?” That’s how I came up with him dancing with the burned-out Batman costume. It’s “Singing In The Rain” and it’s sort of like “Clockwork Orange;” I want it to be something messed up and twisted like that. And the whole lesson we’re learning through all of this is the Joker is madly in love with Batman! So I think that’s even there as he so lovingly dances around with this thing, it’s so messed up! But anyway, that’s how it happens — we come up with ideas and put them through the blender. Sometimes we use them and sometimes we discard them, and come up with some kind of image that will hopefully last more than five minutes after the viewer has seen it.

As you said earlier, Scott’s certainly got a couple of favorite Batman stories he’s drawn inspiration from. What is your favorite definitive Joker or Batman story?

I’ll tell you, and I say it all the time, I loved “The Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller. I could shove that in anybody’s hands, it’s like the first thing you’ve got to check out. Actually, my whole Batman cowl design is borrowed from the scene where Batman’s armored up to fight Superman, wired up Gotham City for power and he’s got that flat helmet. I can’t do that because I have to give a little more shape but I just love that look. If I could and get away with it, I’d make Batman’s face just as flat as that: a forehead that goes straight to the nose. There’s just something badass about it! It’s appropriate because he’s the Dark Knight and it’s like a knight’s helmet, just flat with the eyes. That’s one of the very biggest sources that has inspired me and I love it to this day. I just think it’s genius!

(Pics courtesy of DC COMICS Blog. Original article can be seen HERE)

PREVIEW: Capullo’s DIE CUT COVERS for “Death of the Family”

Comic Book Art, Comic Books, DCU, Preview, Scans 3 Responses »

Oct 012012

CBR announced to day that artist Greg Capullo will be issuing DIE CUT COVERS for the multititle story arc “Death of the Family” that launches with BATMAN #13 in October 10th. Here is the CBR report:

When Batman’s arch-nemesis makes his return to the Dark Knight’s world this fall, the Joker will be coming with a horrific new “face mask” made up of his own torn off skin. And to help accentuate the frightening feel of the “Death Of The Family” event that kicks off with October’s “Batman” #13, DC Comics has tapped series artist Greg Capullo to draw a series of special die-cut covers featuring the faces of Batman’s closest allies.

Below, CBR News has an exclusive first look at Capullo’s art for the covers. Capullo’s art graces “Batman,” “Batgirl” and “Catwoman” #13 in October, “Suicide Squad” #14 in November and “Detective Comics,” “Batman & Robin,” “Nightwing,” “Red Hood & The Outlaws” and “Teen Titans” #15 in December.

When he spoke with CBR earlier this month, Capullo called the cover creating process “a bit of a challenge. The die cut itself had to have straight edges. The other challenge was working within the limitation of using only have of a characters face and reusing the same angle for all. Trying to show individual personalities within these confines. I think I pulled it off.”

(Original article by Kiel Phegley. To see full size pics, visit CBR HERE)

New Greg Capullo Interview: “Pulling the Joker Together”

DCU, Joker, Preview 9 Responses »

Sep 182012

Presenting more interesting Joker-centric articles from our friends at CBR. This time is an interview with Greg Capullow that promises some new insights in his interpretations of the Clown Prince of Crime for the DEATH OF THE FAMILY story arc:

When the Joker returns to Gotham City, he’ll be doing so sans a normal face. With the skin sliced off from his grinning visage at the start of the New 52’s “Detective Comics,” the take Capullo has worked up for the Clown Prince of Crime is a makeshift frightmask that will carry the villain through a story where he’ll target each of Batman’s crime-fighting allies from Robin to Nightwing and beyond. As part of the story’s growth from solo tale to crossover event, DC announced this week that the artist will also provide a series of special die-cut covers for tie-in issues including “Batgirl” and “Catwoman” #13 and “Suicide Squad” #14 that will reveal some shocking imagery underneath a design-heavy veil.

CBR News invited Capullo to THE BAT SIGNAL,our regular dissection of the Dark Knight’s world, to discuss the story, the villain and his work. Below, the artist explains how he matches Snyder’s meticulously planned stories with a free wheeling approach to his pages, why the Joker is less of a horror character than you may expect, what surprises lie below the surface of “Death of the Family” and the die-cut covers and his personal thoughts on sticking to a monthly deadline.

CBR News: Greg, “Batman” has been one of the most creatively consistent titles of the New 52 with you and Scott working on every chapter of the massive “Court of Owls” story over the first year. I get the impression that you particularly don’t want to fall behind and let someone else draw a chapter of this book. Is that pretty accurate?

Greg Capullo: Yeah, that’s always the way I work. I did something like 80 consecutive issues of “Spawn” when I was drawing it, and 12 issues of “X-Force.” I’m built that way. Because when I was a kid, I’d go into a comic book store, and if I picked up the magazine expecting a particular artist, I’d be really disappointed if he wasn’t there. I never want to do that to fans. We all need to take breaks, but I would never do one mid-arc. Even on the monthly title, that can feel disruptive. But then when it comes to the collected trade, it’s really a speed bump that sticks out as glaring. So I’d definitely never do that. I have a planned break coming up that Scott and I are discussing, but it’s not coming mid-arc. So yeah, I’m cognizant of what fans feel about this, and I’m a workhorse. It’s those two things combined.

What was the experience of the Court of Owls saga like for you as a collaborator. Obviously, Scott put a lot of work in laying out all the pieces in advance, but did you ask to know all the turns up to that final reveal when you started drawing it?

I think the “King Owl” design came a little later in the process, but I knew about the twist early on. And I had to stomach some internet chatter because of that – people saying, “Oh, look at this new character! He looks just like Bruce! Cappulo draws everybody the same!” [Laughs] At first I really wanted to respond to some blogs, but Scott kept telling me, “Shhhhh! We can’t give too much away!” But apart from that, it was a lot of fun, and I was grateful that people ended up liking it so much.

I get the impression that Scott has just been keeping a notebook of all these different big Batman stories he can tell. And in the first issue, you got a chance to draw a classic Joker or at least draw Nightwing in the Joker’s garb. Back then did you have an idea that you’d shift to a big Joker story after the opening year?

No. Never. This was a surprise. I hadn’t read comics in a while, and so I didn’t even know Joker’s face had been severed off until pretty recently really. When I learned everything, I went, “I guess we do kind of have to blow this whole thing up and start again.” It was a nice surprise. And I’m sure there are other things in Scott’s book than Batman stories. It frightens me to think what he’s cooking up there. [Laughs]

Speaking of which, I get an impression of a horror story for this “Death of the Family” arc. Is that a goal for you?

It takes on a horror element just because his face has been torn off. His new face has this makeshift element where he’s holding it on. In that respect, a lot of people have heard me say that it’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Joker,” and they go, “Ohhhh, it’s going to be a horror thing.” But the story really isn’t so much “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” as it is a psychological terror. That’s what we’ve all come to expect from a Joker story. The essence of the Joker has not changed. It’s amped up in the fact that he’s become hands on a bit more in this, which speaks to the level of anger he has. If you want a job done right, you do it yourself. And so we’re seeing Joker act at a level that he never has in the past. In that respect, it does have some horror elements to it, but it’s still a cool Joker that scares your mind more than anything.

For the Joker at this specific moment in the culture, it still feels like the Heath Ledger performance in “The Dark Knight” looms large over the character. Did you have any previous takes like that one or others that you looked and to either match expectations here or even play against type?

To be honest with you, I think one of the things that has served me best is having not looked at comics for a while. I didn’t come in with a lot of previous images on hand, and the movie never crossed my mind. So what’s coming out of me is just my feelings as a guy who grew up on the same planet as everybody else and has been exposed to this stuff. Whatever I’m bringing is just coming from my gut. I’m just drawing upon the well that’s inside me. [Pause] That’s kind of scary, right? [Laughter]

Let’s hope not. Tell me how the story opens for you as an artist. With “Court of the Owls” we started very slowly – setting up the ball and Bruce’s ideas and then meeting the Owls and eventually the Talons. With the Joker, is there less need for preamble there?

Well, there’s definitely a terrifying scene in the first issue! And it’s terrifying for how much you don’t see, actually. It’s escalating quick, and in issue #14, which I just completed yesterday, that’s when things really open up. It’s really pulse-pounding stuff. Scott’s kind of a slow burn guy who builds to his crescendos, but even with that, a lot of explosive stuff happens early. It seems from what I’ve read of the scripts so far that it’ll just build more and more.

Last time your book ended up calling the shots on an event in “Night of the Owls,” it was a bit unexpected. The story grew, and Editorial decided to get more books involved. This time, you’re launching this story with some crossovers built in right out the gate. Have you been doing more design work and turnarounds to catch the other artists up with your vision, or are you just leaving them to play into your issues?

They weren’t as elaborate as turnarounds. I did about three character sketches showing off the possibilities for what you can do with the Joker after Scott and I decided how we wanted him to look. That got passed around to the other guys to draw from. But there’s a lot of possibilities with his face that I personally plan to mess around with. I’ve established the main look with the belt in the back and the hooks in the mouth kind of holding everything in place, but think about that. You move in different ways, and that skin can shift on you. Maybe a hook busts loose, and part of your face is flapping free. There’s only possibilities for me to capitalize on depending on the story Scott provides me. I can always accentuate on a particular scene by adding little flourishes there. I’ve even talked about the fact with Scott that being that the face isn’t on ice in Gotham P.D. evidence anymore, it’d start to decay, right? And things that decay stinks a bit and attracts flies, and it might be cool for little touches with flies swimming around his head here or there. It can change is what I’m trying to say. It’ll probably look different through the story than the prototype face you’ve seen so far.

You’re also working on a series of special die-cut covers for “Batman” and many of the tie-in titles. They themselves tie into the concept of Joker’s new face, but who dreamt up this scheme, and what was your initial reaction to it?

[Co-Publisher] Dan DiDio and [Art Director] Mark Chiarello. Dan actually mentioned it to my wife first. I later talked about it over dinner and he sold me. Dan is so enthusiastic about all of this stuff. It’s contagious!

In the past, things like character designs mean the final product can be a little more unfinished to get the idea across to your peers. Here, you’re working on a number of different complete pieces for the public. What are you doing here to keep each one unique while also using the die-cut idea to its fullest? Do you have a favorite so far?

Well, it was a bit of a challenge. The die cut itself had to have straight edges. The other challenge was working within the limitation of using only have of a characters face and reusing the same angle for all. Trying to show individual personalities within these confines. I think I pulled it off. As for favorites…is that a trick question?

We know that the story involves Joker targeting members of the Batman family, and he’ll likely bring along some different villains as well. What’s it like to be looking at an arc that expands the cast out in some ways. Is this more like drawing a team book in this arc than a “Batman versus villain” kind of story?

First off, I don’t know what’s coming really on the full story, so I’m not sure what other villains may be showing up. But to me, this whole thing is nothing but a party. I don’t think too much about any of those issue is the truth. When I get the script, I try and let the movie of the story play in my head. Then I pick out a few stills and go, “Okay, how can I translate that so it looks like a comic book page?” To me, that’s nothing but a party. I don’t give it as much thought as people would like to give me credit for. I just let my gut take over and have fun.

Everyone flipped for that issue where you literally turned the pages upside down mid story. That was an unplaned addition by you, so having a writer who doesn’t want to dictate exactly what happens must be a boon to your process.

No, we wouldn’t be able to work together if he was like that! [Laughter] We trust each other, and we both know that we equally love Batman the same. What you’ve got to realize is that the things that mess this stuff up are egos. Egos crush it all, man. If you let egos collide and take over in place of the products and the fans, that’s where it comes undone. Scott and I like each other. We trust each other. And we work together to tell the best story we can. Ego doesn’t come into it. That’s not to say that neither of us has an ego. It just means we don’t let them clash as we work to get in the way of the product. Our #1 goal is to make the baddest ass Batman that there is, ever was, ever will be and put that out for the fans. That’s how it is – putting our blood and sweat and soul into this thing. We just try to put that out there for the fans and set it on fire and hope that everybody likes it.

(Article reprinted from “The Bat Signal Report” by CBR staff)

New Pencils for Batman 13 shared….

Comic Book Art, DCU, Joker, Preview, Scans 6 Responses »

Aug 302012

Our good friends at GOTHAM SPOILERS were able to get some pencils for the upcoming Batman #13 that mark the Joker’s return in the story arc “DEATH OF THE FAMILY”. Here are some of the nice scans…

bat13-1

bat13-2

bat13-4

batman13-5

(Pictures courtesy of GOTHAMSPOILERS.COM. For more scans visit the site.)

Artist Greg Capullo reacts to recent Joker image leaks…

Comic Books, Preview 4 Responses »

Aug 172012

coverbatman14-2 When I read this, I didn’t know what to make of it. So those pics out there (and that you can see in one of my previous posts) not the final product? Of course no…they are probably a marketing gimmick to keep the fans speculating in the hopes that it will increase the sales. Who knows, but DC? ME…I will wait for the final product and then emit the final verdict (after all I was not too fond of the face peeling at the beggining, until I imagined the possibilities). I just want to bring you the point of view from everybody involved with the Joker reboot.

Now the turn goes to Greg Capullo himself who was upset with the leakage of (supposed) images from BATMAN #14 and BATGIRL #14. Listen to him…

Apparently, though, fan-favorite Batman artist Greg Capullo wasn’t particularly happy with even that much leaking, and took to his Twitter page to vent his frustration and to promise fans a more memorable, terrifying vision of The Joker when his interpretation of the character, appearing in the Scott Snyder-written Batman book, appears in the context of the story.

Says Capullo:

“As careful as I’ve been to save revealing our new Joker, the powers that be have let it out ahead if our book. Stay tuned fir MY pics.

“In my younger days, I’d have punched several holes in the walls of my office by now. Rest assured, I will give you terror when I draw him.

“When I draw it, THAT will be it.

“Try not to look at it. Wait for ours if you can.

“The more I’ve thought about the Joker leak, the more I began thinking that it may have been for the best. The fact is, the way Scott and I.. will give you the Joker may have been too much for some with out this diluted sample hitting the web. DC, rightly so, had concerns about- Our images and story. Perhaps they leaked this intentionally to test the waters or to acclimate your minds to what is coming from us.

“Team Batman knows how to do one thing. Destroy. So, even if you do see the leak, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Trust me.

“I’m still not going to reveal my sketches. I won’t let this incident blow the whole works. Be patient. Terror is heading your way.”

(Original Source: Report by Russ Burlingame for ComicBook.com)

My opinion to Mr. Capullo’s warning about Joker’s Look

Editorials, Reviews 2 Responses »

Jul 222012

Thought I was just going to leave this as a footnote to my previous post on Greg Capullos’s warning about the Joker’ look (that you can read HERE), but it became more of an statement, so decided to make it a whole post….sorry guys. Bear with me. This are just my opinions

Ok, a few things I wanted to point out from this article:

1. “He really is going to obviously, have a new look,” Snyder said. “At the same time, we want it to echo his iconic look.”

So the change is dramatic, but not out of the charts horrific? I would really see how they could pull that one out since the Joker has literally lost his face. I understand the new look issue, this is a whole new universe and definitely after the success of Ledger’s Joker, the public is probably ready for a much more “scarred” Clown Prince of Crime. Joker can be scary and more threatening,but giving him a set of “real scars” will be much too close to Ledger’s Joker’s appearance and though many loved Ledger’s reinterpetation, I don’t thiik the fans want a Ledger copycat (Ledger J belongs to the Nolanverse). They just want a sensible, terrifying reinterpretation of an icon, while keeping what has made him the perennial nemesis of the Batman in his long lived comic run and hearing them say: “…he’s still himself at his core.” . Hope they can keep that promise.

2. But then, my expectations get stunted when I hear say “Now I can go down the road of, like, Texas Chainsaw Massacre stuff”

I REALLY TRUST YOU Mr. Capullo as much as trust Mr. Snyder plotting this new chapter in Joker’s presence in the DC Universe, but remember…you are not writing a horror flick here, and you promised keeping Joker’s core. Joker is not Leatherface, nor Freddy Krueger neither is he Jason, He is the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime. But still, I respect your artistic freedom to reinterpret Joker for the modern audience.

3. When Capullo said that in Batman #0 …“ the biggest challenge is drawing the Red Hood gang, and having to make some pill helmet look cool and look bad-ass. ”

Is the artist implying that he’s also planning on including a new origin version for the Clown Prince of Clown? Well, if this Joker is that different from the one in the Pre-52 universe, it might need his origin revamped for the new times and new audiences, but I hope that is not adding another page to the already large file on Joker origin stories out there. Some well made (Killing Joke blackflashes), others would have been better if they never existed (like Lover’s and Madmen that truly never added any dimension to the Joker or his origin). I will be looking for this Batman origin retell, and see if DC has finally decided to do more character oriented stories. If it worked for Chirs Nolan in The Dark Knight trilogy, it might work in comics book too. Again we don;t want a Nolanverse copycat, Joker fans just want well written stories, that seem to be lacking lately in the DC line-up.

4. “We’re turning the Joker up a notch, you know? If you can turn the Joker up any higher.”

I can see why Capullo is getting to, After TDK, we have learned to see Joker in a more menacing, and dangerous way. And let’s face it…he made money. He is really a force of nature that Batman needs to contend with, but at the same time the phrase makes me shudder. How much higher could you turn up the Joker’s behavior before turning him into a thristy bloody killing machine, thus losing the core of the Joker we have learned to love in comics. Remember Joker is more than just a murderer, he is (in my humble opinion) the twisted version of Batman. An evil twin brother, the chaos of the world against the order of the Knight.

5. And I was thrilled when Capullo admitted that Joker’s return will affect not just Batman, but many other Batman related comics. The Clown’s return will reverberate all over Gotham City and probably the DC’s New52 Universe: Remember to check out:

Batgirl (A no brainer, since it was the Clown Prince of Crime who crippled Barbara Gordon. Would she fight the demons from that horrific night at the same she fights this new terrifying menace?)

Batman and Robin (Still can’t forget that wonderful Joker phrase that he was just “…differently sane”)

Suicide Squad ( who would not want to know what will happen when Harley Quinn realizes that her puddin’ is back. How will this new Joker see her old henchwoman now that he is rebonr?)

Nightwing

Red Hood and the Outlaws (Again, Jason’s transformation into the Red Hood is direct result of what he went through after Joker “killed him”–assuming they keep DEATH IN THE FAMILY as cannon in this new stroyline. How would Jason react to the Clown’s return?)

Teen Titans ( this one I need to see why it woud be such an important interaction…the new robin?

Catwoman (in the past pre-52 Jokerhas had storylines with Catwoman, but how this new Clown relates to the Feline Fatale? Is tere more than meets the eye and a new secret connection that needs to be revealed ? That might be interesting to see)

Greg Capullo warns about Joker’s new Look (and my humble opinion)

Interview, Joker, News 3 Responses »

Jul 212012

In an article written by Vaneta Rogers for Newsarama, Greg Capullo has a warning for Batman readers about the Joker storyline he’s writing. Here is the report in question…

Before reading the intense, horrific scenes in the “Death of the Family” storyline that begins in October, readers with health problems might want to check with their doctor.

Capullo is one half of the creative team behind DC’s best-selling title Batman, working with writer Scott Snyder on the book ever since it relaunched last year as part of the publisher’s New 52 initiative.

In the title’s next storyline, which begins in October, Snyder told Newsarama that Capullo gets to tweak the Joker’s look thanks to his last appearance. In Detective Comics #1, The Joker had his face removed, severed from his body, allowing the next artist to give the character a new visual interpretation.

“He really is going to, obviously, have a new look,” Snyder said. “At the same time, we want it to echo his iconic look. So it’s Joker in a much more horror movie fashion. But, without giving too much away, you will see the iconic face and the grin, and he might look a little bit different and scarier. But you’ll find that he’s still himself at his core. And he’s really here in his blood-stained clothes going to work.”

Titled “Death of the Family,” the Joker story will run for five issues beginning with October’s Batman #13. The final issue of the Joker storyline will be oversized, and Capullo’s redesign of the Joker will also be featured within tie-in comics in titles like Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Suicide Squad, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Catwoman, and Teen Titans.

With last week’s issue #11, Capullo and Snyder just finished their debut story, “The Court of Owls.” Capullo will now take a break for one issue (as Batman #12 features guest artist Becky Cloonan), but will return for September’s Batman #0 before the Joker storyline starts.

Snyder told Newsarama in June that Batman #0 issue will tell a still-unseen part of Bruce Wayne’s past.

“[Batman #0] will give you an important slice of Bruce’s life from when he first gets back to Gotham after his travels,” Snyder told Newsarama. “It will happen within the shadows of Batman: Year One, taking place in a moment of time that you haven’t seen. And I think it will be very surprising to people and exciting. You’ll see some things that will catch you off guard and will get you excited to see what’s coming.”

In the first installment of a two-part interview with did with the Batman artist, we asked Capullo about his plans for the title’s #0 issue and what readers can expect from his Joker.

Newsarama: Greg, now that Court of Owls has finished up, you’re taking a break for issue #12 before doing issue #0, right?

Greg Capullo: Yeah, it’s the only opportunity I’ve had to take a break. I had initially wanted to do it all, but it just wasn’t feasible, so I had to make a choice. And the choice was, do I break off at #0 or do I break off at #12? And I just thought, “I really want to do this origin in #0.”

So that’s what I’m working on while someone else handles #12.

Nrama: In issue #0, what’s different about the Bruce Wayne we’ll see? He’s younger and more inexperienced, right?

Capullo: Yeah. This is definitely pre-Bat. He’s not staying in Wayne Manor yet. And we don’t have the imagery of the Bat yet.

So this issue is more like Mission Impossible or James Bond, in the sense that he’s got all the cool tech, so you get all that, but without any of the pointy ears or cloaks, you know? So that part is kind of cool, because it’s definitely a different slant.

All that is suddenly familiar, for me, drawing Batman, is gone. So that was a little bit of a challenge, you know?

But it’s kind of cool because Bruce is not the very even-keeled guy who’s methodical and doesn’t get riled. He’s not to that point yet.

Because of that, he can have a knee-jerk reaction. He’s got a lot of temper that’s not quite simmered and under control yet.

So you see some of his impetuous behavior in the book. In what I’m drawing right now, I have Bruce in a very, very bad situation. So it’s interesting to see him handle that in a little different way because it’s so early in his career.

Nrama: Have you gotten to draw earlier versions of some of the villains of that era around Gotham City? And has that been a challenge to update them for the New 52?

Capullo: Yeah, I have, and I’ll tell you the biggest challenge is drawing the Red Hood gang, and having to make some pill helmet look cool and look bad-ass. You just go, “How do I make that one tough?” You know? So that’s a big challenge.

And then there are a lot of guys wearing masks, so another challenge is portraying emotions, because emotion has to be solely relying on body language.

It’s a great exercise for young artists, if they want to figure out how to portray emotion without faces. Keep the face out of it. Then how do you sell how a guy’s feeling and thinking, just through his mannerisms and the way he carries himself.

This scene that I’m doing right now in Batman #0 is coming to a final shoot-out scene. So even though it’s early stuff in Bruce’s life, it’s still got action and is still great fun.

Nrama: Let’s talk about what’s coming up in October. When you heard you were drawing The Joker for your next storyline in Batman, what was your gut reaction?

Capullo: Well, as soon as I heard, my pants got very tight and my nipples stiffened. It was just a fabulous reaction. And I just said, “I have to do this.”

This is, like, super-exciting. Super-thrilling. I mean, what artist doesn’t want to touch The Joker? He’s just the coolest and the most badass, the most evil, the most insane, and so there’s so much to play with.

And the fact that so much has happened to the Joker prior to where we’re picking him up, with the severed face, we’re going to be able to run with that now.

Nrama: So did you and Scott talk about the best way to handle that severed face? We’ve only seen the cover, which is kind of a tease that his face is different now.

Capullo: Yeah, Scott and I are working on the details now of how we want to handle that. We’re putting together some visuals for the story now. It’s going to be very different than what people have seen with The Joker prior.

Nrama: Are you at all disappointed that he looks different? Or are you still able to portray enough of that Joker look that it’s still the character we know and love?

Capullo: You know, I’m happy to be doing this because I look at it as an opportunity to have fun. So no, this is going to be a blast.

Let’s put it this way. I would have put my own slant on the way the Joker looks traditionally anyway.

Now I can go down the road of, like, Texas Chainsaw Massacre stuff.

And I’m a heavy metal guy, so stuff like Slipknot pops in my head, you know? So I’m going, “Yeah! Something really, really dark and creepy!”

It amplifies it. We’re turning the Joker up a notch, you know? If you can turn the Joker up any higher.

Nrama: It sounds like you don’t have the exact look ironed out yet and I’m sure it’s early in the process of you drawing the story, but what can you tell us about the ideas you two have for The Joker storyline overall?

Capullo: Well, you know, Scott takes everything to 11, as do I. So it’s going to be over-the-top, over-the-edge Joker stuff.

I mean, everybody saw what we were able to do in the first Batman story. And this will be even more dark, more twisted, more violent.

I guess after so many years of doing that kind of stuff, I guess, in a way, I enjoy it a bit. So it’s going to be great to get my hooks into that stuff.

Nrama: Then before we talk about last week’s finale for Court of Owls, what do you want readers to know about the Joker story that you and Scott are doing for “Death of the Family?”

Capullo: I would say that if you have any kind of heart conditions, or any kind of medical issues that could cause seizures or what-not, that you should check with a doctor prior to buying this story arc, because we don’t want to be responsible. DC does not want to be responsible for any fatalities or hospitalization or young or old people who may encounter this story and it just simply be too much for their system.

So I would say, check with your doctor prior to picking up Batman #13.

(original article posted HERE by Newsarama staff contributor Venata Rogers July 17).

Remember Batman #13 goes on sale October 10, 2012!!!

HEYJOKERHOLICS! GUESS WHO’S BAAAAAACK!

Comic Books, DCU, Interview, Joker, Preview 1 Response »

Jul 022012

batman_jokerpromo

NIFTY TEASER POSTER, HUH?

My friend Steffano brought up this link in his FB profile, and I squealed like a teenager at a Justin Beieber Concert….My HERO, is making his comeback to the comic media and it looks that it is going to be in a grand way. Here is the whole report from our friends at BIG SHINY ROBOT

The Joker Returns to the New 52 in October

When it comes to Batman the stakes are never higher than when the Joker is involved. He is the ultimate bad guy! And It’s been a while since the Joker has been around, but that will soon change. The last time we saw him was in the first issue of Detective Comics almost one year ago in which he cut his face off and disappeared. We were left wondering where and when the Joker will pop up again. Will he have a new face? We have seen the cut off face once since Detective Comics #1 and that was in Suicide Squad in which Harley Quinn breaks into the Gotham police department and steals it because she thinks he’s dead. She then goes on to tie up Deadshot, put the face on him, and pour her feelings out as if she were talking to the Joker to get closure. It was a moment in comics that made me feel icky! I also wonder if Harley will show up in this story and what her reaction will be when she finds out her “Puddin” isn’t dead.

Now that the Joker is returning I’m sure he has some sort of master plan in the works and we’ll find out what that is in “Death of a Family” this October from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. DC’s blog gives us a couple of hints of where the story will be going:

“The Joker will come out of the dark in a horrifying, unnerving, and huge way. And the grave consequences of his reemergence will be felt by not only the Bat-family, but by all of Gotham City. He crippled Batgirl. He killed Robin. What will The Joker do next? And what must Batman do to protect his secret identity and that of those who fight alongside him?”

Both creators seem to be pumped to be working on this story, here are their thoughts that they shared with DC’s blog about the upcoming story.

Scott Snyder:

“Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder told THE SOURCE. “Not just in comics. In everything – film, books, TV. He’s the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me – something I’ve been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham. Basically, this is my big exploration of the Joker, my ARKHAM ASYLUM or THE KILLING JOKE, only bigger in scope. Bottom line: it’s the biggest, baddest, most shocking Joker story I could tell. This is Joker completely unleashed. He has been away for a full year planning this revenge, watching, plotting, setting things up. And now he’s back. He has his traps set, his knives sharpened… And wait ’til you see him. Greg’s sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you’ve never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn’t going to be pretty, but it’s going to be a wild ride. Thanks for taking it with us.”

Greg Capullo:

“When Scott told me that he’d written a Joker story for our next arc, I couldn’t contain my excitement,” added Capullo. “Talk about a dream come true! For me, the Joker is the ultimate rogue and the villain I most wanted to draw. I gotta tell you, after hearing what the story is about, this isn’t a dream come true. It’s a nightmare! A macabre and bloody, flesh crawling nightmare. We hope you’ll have the nerve to face what’s coming. Warning: It ain’t for the faint of heart!”

Batman #13 On sale on October 10, 2012

I can’t wait to see what Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have in storage for us. Hopefully it will make the Joker shine with his own perverse sense of humor in a story well written, beautifully illustrated and with the correct characterization. THREE MORE MONTHS FOLKS!

(Picture courtesy of BIG SHINY ROBOT and original link provided by Steffano Joseph Kerr. Release date provided by DC Blogs))