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Snyder Celebrates 75 Years of Joker by Teasing New Origin in Batman 38

Comic Books, DC Universe, DCU, Interview, Joker, News No Responses »

Feb 042015

Batman38CVR The incredible guys at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES had a chance to talk to Scott Snyder about the his role in the new Joker story line ENDGAME and the acclaimed writer talks about his unconventional origin story for Joker that he hinted in BATMAN #38 this month. Here is the interview highlights. (WARNING…SPOILERS AHEAD!):

CBR News: In “Batman” #38, you explain that the Joker virus is unique in that it heals The Joker even as it slowly kills its victims. It’s a complete inverse, like life and death and comedy and tragedy and, really, like Batman and The Joker. Why is it human nature to be so fearful of our polar opposite?

Scott Snyder: Part of the point of “Endgame” is that The Joker now positions himself as a stranger to Batman. “You don’t know me at all, and I know everything about you.” That’s terrifying not only because he’s a reflection of Batman, but suddenly he’s become this obscured reflection. It was always his message in “Death of the Family” and earlier in continuity, that, “We are two sides of the same coin. I’m doing this because I make you stronger.”

But this time, he something’s different. “All I am is the unknown.” Now, he’s this stranger that knows Bruce very well, and knows his weaknesses. I don’t think there is anything scarier than somebody coming after you that knows what you are most afraid of, and is happy to bring that to your doorstep.

While he’s often portrayed as crazy and the Clown Prince of Gotham, this time around, we’re seeing a more calculated approach to his mayhem.

I’ve actually never really seen him as crazy. I see him as evil. I think people like to think he’s crazy because we’re less comfortable with the idea that somebody could be deeply evil. You so rarely see absolute lack of empathy and compassion in a character that is operating with gleeful malevolence. That is something that just goes completely against our nature to believe in another human being. The Joker is that. In my interpretation, The Joker never says he’s crazy. He more, unapologetically, says, “This is who I am.” He very much has reasons for doing the things that he does, which make sense in his relationship with Batman. But I don’t think he views himself as crazy, and I don’t think Batman thinks he’s crazy either. The public perception of him is that he is a lunatic, but deep down, he’s actually very evil.

Speaking of crazy, we also get the New 52 debut of Crazy Quilt in this issue, a much maligned supervillain since his debut in 1946. Why mine Batman’s past to find these gems when building a story arc like “Endgame,” as opposed to creating new adversaries like the Court of Owls?

That’s a great question. For me, this story is meant to be somewhat celebratory, as dark and twisted as it is. It started as a celebration of Batman’s 75th anniversary, and it ends as a celebration of Joker’s 75th anniversary…

…Crazy Quilt was perfect because I needed a character that was really Frankenstein-ian. I needed a doctor that Batman believes must have helped Joker make this inverse strain. Joker must be taking something that is giving him this ability to heal and letting him make this argument that he is ancient. When he targets Dekker, he’s sure that he’s right: This is the person that did it. But even though Dekker admits that he helped Joker make the virus, what he says that stuns Batman is, “The substance in the virus, it’s from him. I got it from The Joker’s body… from his spine. He found it long ago. He is who he says he is.” Because Crazy Quilt is so integral to the story, you forgot the silliness of him. ..

…Again, this story, albeit very twisted, is meant to be fun. Even though Joker said “Death of the Family” is a comedy and “Endgame” is a tragedy, for him, he revels in tragedy, so “Death of the Family” must have been more uncomfortable for him. That story was more grim and dark, and this story is more eye-popping and silly and fun. And it only gets more so. You’ll see a lot more nuttiness as the story moves forward. I wanted this to be a big birthday party for The Joker and Batman, because this will definitely be the last time I ever write The Joker.

Well, looking at the cover for “Batman” #40, it’s fairly mythic.

I love that cover. I told Greg that I wanted it to be like Batman and The Joker had turned into completely mythological figures, something that you would see portrayed in a stained glass window. I wanted it like they are fighting deep in the pages of an ancient story, because again, this will be the last time we use The Joker. “Death of the Family” was the first part of a story, and I intended to do something with The Joker that was more of a tragedy in the second part. But when I started working on this one, which basically started when I was finishing the first one, I quickly realized that this one was going to be the one when nothing is left on the table. Everything that Joker didn’t do or said he wouldn’t do — and I don’t mean not kill people — but everything and anything is possible. The consequences of this one change everything. In “Death of a Family,” he gave Batman a chance. In this one, there are no chances. This one is about tearing everything down, for The Joker. And a lot of it does get torn down, and what comes out on the other side and what it leads to, the transformative aspects to the story, is very, very big.

I know from talking to you about “The Wake” that you love science and biology, so when I see such a well-defined, scientific explanation for the Joker virus based on jellyfish physiology, I know you’ve done your research. Do you have a team of scientists working for you?

[Laughs] No team, but I actually did a lot of research on that science. Again, the story has been planned for over a year and I love the idea of making it somewhat plausible. That gene, LIN28, is real. It’s one of the key genes that they’ve found in mice to be responsible for regenerative abilities for lost limbs. The idea of the cellular matrix and magic dust is all speculative stuff that is fun to read about. I really wanted to make something that links the mythology of some different aspects of “Batman” in a way that could be true and could be not true, because Crazy Quilt is crazy. At the same time, his belief that the Lazarus Pit is a corrupted version of this substance or has this substance in it, and the electrum that the Owls have possibly have this substance in it. And there is the idea that Vandal Savage was possibly touched by this substance long ago, and that’s why he is this immortal figure, which is how Grant [Morrison] positioned him in the cave.

This story really is a goodbye to a lot of things that we’ve built, and lots of the status quo, and it’s a celebration at the same time. I just want it to be as big as we ever go. AWe can pull back with a new status quo in June. It’s almost time to start over, in a way. I want people to say, “I did not know that they had that in them, to try something that nutty in their fifth year on the book” — my fifth year, Greg’s fourth.

Traditionally in the DCU, Batman and Joker have been portrayed as wickedly clever and resourceful. But in this arc, you’re basically making Joker a super threat in terms of strength and immortality. How does that change the Batman/Joker dynamic?

One of the things that is almost unspoken between Bruce and Dick is the question of, “Did we just miss our chance to kill him?” Or is it possible that The Joker always had this substance in him and it wouldn’t have worked any way? He would have just got up and laughed. Ultimately, now he is kind of reveling in the fact that you cannot take him down. He is this character that has a much longer history than you would think.

The other reason that it’s deeply scary, and why he’s chosen to flaunt it in front of Batman, whether or not it’s true, is because he believes very much that Batman’s biggest problem, his biggest fear, is his own mortality. He’s tried to transform himself into a symbol that extends beyond his own body and extends beyond his own life, and not in a way that he is afraid of dying. Bruce is afraid of losing Batman to his own body as he gets older. He’s afraid that he’ll go down fighting, but he won’t be strong enough, he won’t be fast enough. He isn’t exactly the legend that Batman has become. He’s still, ultimately, physically defined by his own body. He’s a person, and The Joker is saying that. He’s saying, “I know who you are. You’re nothing. You’re reduced to being just Bruce Wayne. I’m something much bigger than you — and I always have been.”

(This is just a partial transcript. The whole article (and pictures) can be accessed HERE)

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?

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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)

John Snyder talks about Joker and “Death of the Family”

Comic Book Art, DCU, Interview, Joker, Preview 1 Response »

Nov 252012

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)

Scott Snyder keeps teasing us: Joker comments at Comic-Con

DCU, Interview, Joker, Preview 1 Response »

Jul 182012

Man, I’m trying to takes things easy. Put my expectations so high for the new Joke story arc that Snyder and Capullo are brewing is not something I want to do now. Not because of them, but because of the other writers before that promised so much and hardly delivered half of what they promised.

But Snyder keeps throwing snippets of information that just peeks my curiosity even more. I am really looking for the october issue of Batman to see what they have concocted for the Joker fans out there that miss the o’l Clown. Here’s Snyner’s latest tease from a panel at SDCC:

Some preview art was displayed of an upcoming Joker arc. Snyder told the crowd that it’s been too long since there’s been an epic Joker story. He asked the crowd to shout out the last great Joker story they remembered. Most answers were older books, like “The Killing Joke” and “Arkham Asylum.”

“What I’m asking you is, why hasn’t [Joker] been in comics in fucking 10 years? Besides movies and animation? Where is the great, big Joker story where he says ‘F-U Batman, I’m back?’ Where has that been?

If we do the Joker, it’s got to be the biggest, baddest blood-on-the-floor story,” Snyder said, to applause. “No one will want to touch him for another 20 years.”

Snyder said his take on the Joker is essentially that the Joker thinks he serves Batman. He brings Batman’s worst dreams to life.

“And if [Batman] doesn’t respect that, and you get fat and slow, I’ll have an axe to grind, and I’ll come after you,” he said.

MAN! I CAN’T WAIT FOR BATMAN 13!!

Scott Snyder Speaks to Newsarama about Joker’s Return

DCU, Interview, Joker, Preview 1 Response »

Jul 102012

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Scott Snyder was not shy to share his points of view with the staff at Newsarama regarding the Joker’s return. Here is the full report as posted in their website:

Joker is not only returning to the pages of Batman. He’s targeting characters in several other DC comics later this year and into early 2013.

“Death of the Family,” the next major Batman storyline that starts in October, will also eventually bring the Joker into comics like Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Suicide Squad, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Catwoman, and Teen Titans.

Scott Snyder, the writer of DC’s best-selling title Batman, said that he and the other “Death of the Family” writers are working to make sure the stories are self-contained enough that readers don’t have to buy multiple comics to understand them. He said the tie-ins will be somewhat similar to the structure used for “Night of the Owls,” the Batman event that spilled into other comics in May.

Drawn by Greg Capullo, the Joker story in Batman will run for five issues beginning in October’s issue #13. The final issue, in Batman #17, will be oversized. Snyder will also write the back-up stories in Batmanas part of his Joker story.

The writer said “Death of the Family” will focus on Joker’s psychology, using symbolic themes like the idea of a court jester and a tarot card. Snyder called it his “love letter to the Joker,” stating that it’s one of the biggest stories ever done that featured the character in a lead role.

“Death of the Family” will bring back Joker after the character appeared briefly in Detective Comics #1 in September 2011. However, in that issue, the character had his face literally removed at the end of the issue, and has not been seen again in the New 52 universe.

What does his return mean for members of the Batman family? How well does Batman know the Joker in the New 52 anyway? And what makes this story different from other Batman vs. Joker stories? Newsarama talked with Snyder to find out more.

Newsarama: Scott, you’ve been hinting to me for months that you were doing your “favorite villain” in the next storyline. Is this something you’ve wanted to do for awhile?

Scott Snyder: I’ve been dying to do this, like, forever! This is my chance to do my favorite villain of all time in the biggest and craziest way I could possibly imagine. And it’s a story that I’ve had in mind for, I’d say, a good seven, eight or nine months. And it started forming before I even did the “Court of Owls.” So this is really my big exploration and love letter to the Joker overall.

Nrama: Did you coordinate with Tony Daniel the appearance in Detective Comics?

Snyder: Yeah, I did. What happened was, DC wanted to take the Joker away for a little while to give room to some new villains that they were creating in the New 52. And I had said that I had an idea for a Joker story down the line. Tony had a couple different ways that he was thinking of making it possible for the Joker to go away for a bit. And in doing so, we talked about his possibility as something we both liked. I thought this one would tail really, really well into this story. And whichever one Tony picked, I knew I could work with it. And this was the one he really wanted to go with. So I figured I’d tail off of that into this story.

But this story didn’t come from that ending. This story was sort of beginning to be built before that. And then there were a number of different endings in Detective that could have worked. But that one was the one Tony wanted to write. And I think it’s going to work really, really well here.

Nrama: It certainly gives Greg the freedom to play around with the way Joker looks. Can you tell us anything about what we’re going to see from the character?

Snyder: He really is going to, obviously, have a new look. 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.

Nrama: So like the title sounds, this is the Joker wanting to really tear down the “Bat” and his family, with a plan behind what he’s doing?

Snyder: Yeah, this is the Joker having been away for a year planning all of this stuff, like planting traps and seeds and all kinds of stuff that are going to come to fruition in this thing.

A year ago, Joker decided, I’m going to walk away from Gotham, I’m going to plan my revenge, and I’m going to come back in a year and bring it all back. So this is what he’s been planning to do for a long time. And all of those things are set in motion.

Nrama: DC announced that the story would be felt throughout the Bat-family, so are we going to see this storyline spill into other titles at DC?

Snyder: Yeah, you’re going to see it in other comics. Batman is going to be 100 percent self-contained, like it was with “Night of the Owls.” You won’t have to read anything else to understand the story happening in Batman, at all. I promise you that.

But because the story is so big, and because Joker is attacking all those members of the Bat-family, essentially, to prove this point that he’s come back to Gotham to prove and to expose this secret that he has, you will see Joker attack Nightwing in Nightwing. And you’ll see him come after Batgirl in Batgirl. And you’ll see him go after Damian in Batman and Robin. And Tim, even, in Teen Titans. And Jason in Red Hood [and the Outlaws].

So there will be issues of those books that feature the Joker coming after him in ways that will be part of the moving parts of the bigger story. But they will all be self-contained, so you don’t need to read other books to follow the series that you love. They should be just completely individual still, in that way where you won’t have to read Nightwing to get a part of Batman.

I think that worked well for “Night of the Owls,” so it should work well here too.

But this story is much darker and much more personal.

Joker is coming after the Bat-family in ways where, it really is almost like when you think about it…. he hasn’t faced off with those characters, essentially, or directly, before.

People will say, “Oh, well, he came after Batgirl in The Killing Joke,” but he was really going after Commissioner Gordon. So when Batgirl realizes that here, too, it’s almost like the Joker is staring at her saying, “I’m coming after you this time. I’ll kill everyone and burn down everything in your life to do what I did to your father, but to you.” You know?

So in that way, he’s saying that to every member of the Bat-family. To Nightwing and everyone, saying, “You’ve never faced me before. I’ve never actually targeted you. I’ve only used you as pawns to get at Batman. So welcome to your worst nightmare.”

Nrama: How long are you planning the Batman story arc to be?

Snyder: In Batman, it’s going to go from #13 to #17. But #17 is going to be a giant issue, like an Annual-sized issue. And plus, it’s also going to be in the back-ups of Batman. So it’s going to probably be the equivalent, I would think, of about seven issues. But it will be those five.

Nrama: What’s the status of the relationship of Joker and Batman in the New 52? And how would you describe how this confrontation affects Batman?

Snyder: This storyline is predicated on the notion that the stuff that happened with the Joker in the past did happen. So Joker will be referencing things that happened in the past. That said, you won’t have to have read them to be able to follow this story at all. They will be explained or recounted in ways where this will be completely self-standing. I would never require you to go back and read stories from years ago to understand what was happening in mine.

But the history of their relationship, like the Joker being his greatest enemy and the terrible things he’s done to him and done to Jason and the other members of the Bat-family are all part of this. They fuel this storyline.

So in a way, he’s sort of saying, “You’ve created this false family around you. You’ve created this group of people. And I’m here to show you what’s wrong with that. And you’ve forgotten about me. And now I’m going to show you why that’s wrong. And I’m going to expose this secret. And in doing that, I’m going to tear you guys apart worse than you’ve ever seen.”

Nrama: I know that “Court of the Owls” was about Batman versus that group, but it had this kind of undercurrent of the story of Gotham, with the city almost being a member of the cast. Is there any theme like that within the Joker story?

Snyder: This one is really focused on the Joker’s psychology in a particular way, and his philosophy. And it’s something that I’ve been working on and tinkering with for months.

There’s a sort of symbolism to that that’s going to be thematic and explored when it comes to the idea of a court jester and a tarot card, and all of the other kinds of things that filter into the imagery of the Joker that he has kind of rattling around in his brain, and that he’s twisted into this very particular logic he follows.

So there will be a lot of things from, like — and I know this sounds crazy — but from Shakespearean imagery down to tarot card imagery, that will be a central theme of the whole thing.

This is really my exploration of who the Joker is, in terms of Batman, and who he thinks he is in relation to Batman.

This is my own sort of twisted love letter to the Joker.

Nrama: We have seen Bruce Wayne versus the Joker before. How is this different? Is it a matter of scale? Is it bigger in magnitude?

Snyder: Yeah, it’s definitely bigger in magnitude, in terms of the story. I mean, for better or worse, I feel so lucky to be able to write Batman all the time, and I feel like you get one chance to do it, so you’ve got to swing for the fence every time you get to work with your favorite material.

With this, Joker is my favorite villain, so I figure that if you’re going to use him, you’ve got to use him like you’ll never get a chance to use him again.

So it’s clearly bigger in magnitude than any story he’s had in awhile — maybe ever, honestly. I’d have to look back. But the fact that he’s in five big issues of Batman, and then he’s in the other Bat-books as he attacks those members of the family, all of it adds up to a massive, massive Joker story.

And in that way, it’s also a game-changer of a Joker story, you know? It really cuts to the core of who the Joker is, who Batman is in his mind and in relation to him, and really, who the Joker is to Batman too, in Bruce’s psychology.

So this is my exploration of those things in a way that’s meant to be as big and as broad and as deep as I could go. It’s not just a Joker story. This is really my big exploration of the Joker myself, in the way that I don’t know that I’d ever use him again after this, in the way that this is my huge Joker story, my personal Joker story to end all Joker stories, you know?

And you know, as prevalent as the Joker is in other media, he really hasn’t had that many central stories in comics in the last 20 years. He played a big part in “No Man’s Land,” and you obviously can go back to The Killing Joke and stuff like that. And he plays a big part in Batman: R.I.P., and he plays a role in Batman and Robin with Grant [Morrison]’s stuff. But he’s not the villain, you know? In those things, he’s not the guy that is sort of pitted against Batman during those storylines.

And so in that way, if you look back, it’s hard to find a big story with the Joker in a long time, even though he’s in the movies, and the animated stuff, and other places.

I looked at that and though, you know what? If we’re going to bring him back, and he’s been away for at least a year here, but he’s also been away from having big, central stories about him for awhile, let’s do it in a way that’s really going to be a grand slam for all of us emotionally, psychologically with our characters.

That means, look, Kyle [Higgins], Gail [Simone] and Scott Lobdell and Pete Tomasi, this is your one chance, and my chance with Bruce, to pit the Joker against them in a way that no one has ever seen, you know? This is the biggest, most twisted Joker story we could do, in the way that he is trying to cut these characters as deep as he can, psychologically, emotionally and literally.

Nrama: I take it then that this is not going to be in Detective and The Dark Knight?

Snyder: We are several months out from when it’s going to tie into the other Bat-books, so the details of that are still being ironed out. But I can definitely tell you that it’s going to be in Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Suicide Squad with Harley, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Teen Titans for Tim. And I can tell you that right now, it looks like he’s going to make an appearance in Catwoman also. I don’t want to say that other comics might not be a part of that, because we’re still talking about that stuff, and about when it’s all going to hit.

Nrama: Is the approach to this similar to how the you did “Night of the Owls,” in that you opened it up for whoever wanted to utilize the story in their books?

Snyder: It is, but it was a little more structured. What Joker has planned does culminate for all of them in a particular way. So this is different from “Night of the Owls” that way.

In the Joker story, there is a big, crazy ending that they need to work toward.

It was, “You know your character better than me. Gail, you know Batgirl better than I do. Kyle, you know Nightwing better than I do. Joker is here to break them. That means Joker is here to tear down their world the way he did to Jim Gordon in The Killing Joke. You know what I mean? He’ll do anything — rape, kill, anything. He’s the worst nightmare come to life. So whatever you think your character’s greatest weakness is, that’s what the Joker is coming for. So you can kill your whole supporting cast. You can do anything you want. If you ever get a chance to really tear apart the world of your character, this is it, with Joker.”

The stipulation was to do that level of story and nightmare, and of course, then there are some big surprises coming at the end of all of them.

So it was a little more structured. And the thing I loved about “Night of the Owls” was that it was so much about Gotham history, and for everyone to pick a particular moment in Gotham history to explore. But in this one, it’s deeply personal. This is like, the Joker is the guy who comes after you, looks you in the eyes and says, “I’m going to destroy everything you love. And laugh while I’m doing it.”

And that means very personal and impactful stories with a lot of ramifications, as opposed to what we were doing in “Night of the Owls,” which was more about Gotham and its history.

(original interview conducted by Vaneta Rogers for Newsarama)

More Scott Snyder and More Joker

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Jul 092012

Scott Snyder also had a chance to talk to the crew of Comic Vine about his art and Joker in General, Here is a transcript of the interview.

jokercover13-2

This is the Joker bigger, badder and more twisted than you’ve ever seen him before.

Comic Vine: How will your Joker differ from past versions? Similar or different from his appearance in Black Mirror?

Scott Snyder: It will be similar to his appearance in Black Mirror in some ways. For me, that’s sort of the genesis of the Joker I consider most my own. In the way that he there, for example, doesn’t need his grin and have his iconic face in that issue to be who he is at his core. He’s just scary and sort of out of his mind.

More importantly I think that the Joker that really represents the kind of thing I love about the character is he like the demon on Batman’s shoulder. He really seems to know things about his enemies or the people that he’s going after and what unnerves them. It’s his job, as he sees it, to expose the darkest corners of Bruce’s heart. He feels he knows them better than anyone else. He serves him as almost a court jester to his king in that way. In that, he makes these horrifying nightmares to life to make Bruce stronger. He feels he has a very special bond and relationship with him that way. It’s something that only the two of them share.

That Joker, to me, is something that’s built on a lot of versions that have come before but is also important to me in a personal way. It’s my own take on the mythology of this event that we’ll explore in this event. It has to do with the symbolism of the court jester, the tarot card of the joker, Peter Pan and all kinds of stuff that I’m going to roll into it to make it something that’s different even if it’s built on the legacy of the character.

CV: What’s your favorite Joker story and why?

SS: My favorite Joker story is more of a constellation of things. THE KILLING JOKE is probably my favorite simple because when I first read it, it blew me away with its psychological complexity and the richness of the relationship between Batman and the Joker. The ending of that where they’re sort of laughing together is one of my favorite scenes in all of Batman. There’s an homage to the opening of THE KILLING JOKE in the opening of this story as well with the rain. That would have to be my favorite even though I’m not a humongous fan of the comedian part of it. I do think the brilliance of that is the ambiguity that’s introduced at the end. The Joker says he doesn’t quite remember if that’s how it happened. So the idea that that might not be his origin is something that really saves that part and makes it really brilliant.

Close behind would be Frank Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS where the Joker was just catatonic until released was just genius. Similarly, Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker [animated movie] is another favorite and behind that is ARKHAM ASYLUM by Grant Morrison.

CV: What’s the most underrated Joker story?

SS: I think the Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker. Honestly I think a lot of the Denny O’Neill/Neil Adams stuff. I don’t know if it’s so much underrated but more that we don’t talk about it as much as we could. For the level of darkness and complexity of the Joker that was introduced there. Also in the animated stuff, again, I don’t know if it’s necessarily underrated but at the same time I feel, for me, it holds a lot more resonance than I expected it to when I first saw it. So I think I probably underrated it myself.

CV: If Joker did die, as he almost did in his first appearance in BATMAN #1 (1940), who would be Batman’s top villain? An existing one or a new one?

SS: I think no matter what, he’d come back. It’s impossible to think of Batman without the Joker. He’s sort of his dark twin. If I had to pick another villain…to me, Joker is the product of Gotham. Gotham is both the greatest ally and villain of Batman. There are others. I love Two-Face and so many of the rogues. Two-Face would probably be next on my list of interesting villains to explore.

CV: Should Joker be used sparingly in stories?

SS: Yes, definitely. Believe me, I really feel Joker is the greatest villain of all time. There’s no reason to touch him unless you’re really going to do something that you feel is a game changer of a story with him. Something that’s really relevant to who he is. I’ve tried to be very cautious about using him and setting it up over the past year and taking him away from the table so he could come back in this big way.

When you think about it, he is used very sparingly, that’s the irony of it. People seem to think he’s around a lot in other mediums but in comics. Before No Man’s Land, I think the biggest stories with him was in the 80s. I loved his role in BATMAN R.I.P. and I loved his role in GOTHAM CENTRAL but as the central villain of a story he’s not used that much. Here we wanted this to be his big giant return. This is the Joker bigger, badder and more twisted than you’ve ever seen him before.

CV: Speaking of R.I.P., it was mentioned in the announcement that Batman will be fighting to protect his secret identity in this story. Will there be any clarification over events in RIP? Did Joker become aware of Batman’s identity?

SS: It’s not going to reference R.I.P. at all, honestly.

CV: Do you feel Joker knows his identity…or maybe you can’t answer that right now…

SS: I loved the way Grant handled the Joker where he seems to know more than he lets on. There will be the question of how much the Joker knows.

You won’t have to have read R.I.P. to understand what he’s claiming to know or how he seems to know what he knows. It will all be completely contained in this story.

People should read R.I.P. because it’s fun and brilliant but if you’re out there and haven’t but there’s no connection and this isn’t predicated on that at all.

CV: Is there any other comics we should read first like DETECTIVE COMICS #1 where Joker’s face gets cut off or SUICIDE SQUAD #7 for more on Joker’s face and Harley?

SS: You don’t have to read anything. Of course I would say go read those. I love Tony [Daniel] and Adam [Glass] and you should pick up their series because they’re doing great stuff in them. I don’t want you to feel you have to read anything else to understand what’s happening in BATMAN ever. That’s what I meant with R.I.P. also. I would never write a story that was dependent on another story

CV: Will you be touching on Joker’s past or origin at all?

SS: Not really, no. It’s not really about that. I could tease the fans and say, “Oh wait and see, maybe we’re going to redo his origin.” Honestly it really isn’t about that. It’s much more about the Joker having a big mission and a really big point to prove and an axe to grind. He’s coming back and saying, “There’s a reason I got my face cut off. There’s a reason I’ve been away for a year. There’s a reason I’m setting the traps I am for you guys. There’s a reason I’m as violent and angry as I am coming back and how I’m different. Why I’m dressed the way I am, why my face looks the way it does, why all of this stuff is happening…” There’s a really big point he’s coming at Batman. It has to do with how he views himself in the Bat mythology and how he views Batman and the twisted logic that he has.

Part of the fun will also be to see how he’s going to burn down the whole house. That means he’s going to take on all of the other Bat-characters as well. Part of fun will be you’ll have something completely self-contained.

This is something that’s going to pit the Joker against the other members of the Bat Family in their books. This isn’t something I’ve really had a chance to talk about too much. You will see him go after Nightwing and Batgirl, Damian and Tim even in TEEN TITANS. Also Jason in RED HOOD. Even though those stories will be completely self-contained and you won’t need to read them to understand anything in BATMAN, Batman will also be 1000% self-contained.

You’ll get to see Joker square off with all the members of the Bat Family in ways you’ve never seen because part of the fun is in that even though he’s fought Barbara or went after her because of what he did in THE KILLING JOKE, he was actually going after Jim Gordon. He hasn’t actually squared off with her. He’s very happy to say that to them. To Nightwing he’ll say, “I’ve never really faced you. I’ve only used you as a pawn.”

He can say the same thing to Jason. “I only used you to get at him and now I’m looking at you. I’m coming for you and I’m going to burn your world down.”

None of them have really taken on the Joker in this way. The arc is called, “Return of the Joker: Death of the Family.”

Batman #13 on sale October 10, 2012

(Original interview posted by Tony “G-man”Guerrero in ComicVine HERE)

Scott Snyder gets Under the Joker’s Skin for “Death of the Family”

DCU, Interview, Joker, Preview No Responses »

Jul 092012

Our friends at CBR keep teasing us with more Joker as October comes closer…and they have my whole attention. Today they posted an interview with Scott Snyder, who along with Greg Capullo’s art will bring the Clown Prince of Crime back into the stage starting with BATMAN #13: I took the liberty of reprinting the interview, and just take a look at that new teaser cover….

Cover for Batman #13 by Greg Capullo

Snyder Gets Under Joker’s Skin In “Batman: Death Of The Family

“Batman” writer Scott Snyder finally takes his long-awaited shot at writing Gotham’s maniacal clown in a new October-launching story arc titled “Death Of The Family.”In the relaunched New 52 DC Universe, the Joker was first and last seen in writer/artist Tony Daniels'”Detective Comics” #1, getting a face lift from the villain the Dollmaker — quite literally, as Dollmaker peeled Joker’s entire face off and tacked it to the wall.

Mysteriously and noticably absent since that issue, Snyder’s “Death Of The Family,” drawn by regular “Batman” artist Greg Capullo, will be the first to touch on the character fully since last September as the Joker returns, gunning for Batman and all the Bat allies.

Amidst all the buzz surrounding the recently announced storyline, CBR spoke directly with Snyder about his new story, how Joker will look sans-face, and the Joker crossover brewing among the rest of the Bat books

CBR News: The last we saw of Joker in the New 52, he had literally gotten his face peeled off by Dollmaker, and the promo image for your storyline showcases his skinned face. Is the peeling off of the Joker’s face going to be touched on and explained in your story?\

Scott Snyder: That’s an element you’ll definitely see addressed and explained and built on in this story. When Tony [Daniel] was working on that, he brought it up to me and I knew there was a story that I wanted to tell with Joker that would trail out of that. So that’s something that will play a big part in terms of Joker’s look, but also his whole psychology.

Let’s talk about that psychology, because Joker’s been everything from an evil mastermind to someone who is absolutely, clinically insane. What’s your take on the Clown Prince of Crime?

For this story, we really wanted this to be Joker at his most unleashed and vengeful; this Joker has an axe to grind and a point to prove. He’s gone away for a year for a very deliberate reason. During that year, he sort of set all of his traps and sharpened his knives and he’s ready to come back to Gotham and make his point to Batman and the Batman family. He has a very strong mission in mind and he’s very passionate about what he wants to prove to Batman this time around, and it’s really twisted and dark and unpleasant.

The name of the arc is “Death Of The Family” — is that family the Bat family?

It is a reference to the Bat family. I mean, one of the things Joker will be doing here, and part of the fun of the story will be, is, Joker approaches the different members of the Bat family, because part of what he wants to prove to Batman has to do very directly with them and their role in Batman’s life. When you think about it, one of the exciting things is, we haven’t really had a story where Joker faces off with Nightwing or Joker faces off with Batgirl. Even something like “The Killing Joke” really is a Commissioner Gordon story where he’s gone after Commissioner Gordon and used Barbara as a way to drive him crazy. But he’s actually facing off with Batgirl where he’s doing a “Killing Joke” to her, where he’s trying to break her as opposed to break her father — it’s something we haven’t seen. It’s similar with almost every Bat character, so this really is the Joker with a blood mission in mind, where he’s coming after these characters in a way you’ve never seen him come after them before, and Batman as well. It’s really not for the faint of heart! [Laughs]

What can you tell us about the actual story? You’re a writer who really hits very big themes in all your stories — is there a specific theme you’re working through with Joker?

Very much. There’s a very specific theme that’s really my take on his psychology, where he has a very firm belief about his role for Batman and his role in Gotham and it has a kind of mythology that’s twisted and on its own that I’m really excited to explore, with a lot of symbolism as well, that he’s sort of built in his mind. It has a very rich and twisted and fun kind of design, the way he thinks in this one. There are a lot of themes, visual themes and also conceptual themes, that are going to run through the whole story. My favorite Joker stories, from “The Killing Joke” to “Arkham Asylum,” really get inside his head and his thinking and make him all the scarier for it and have those kinds of echoing, totemic elements. Visual things that come back over and over because he clings to them, and he subjects people to the terrifying visions of things that come back over and over. This really is my love letter to the Joker. That way, we can give him the biggest, baddest, craziest story we could.

Also, the shape of the story itself is going to run five to six months. It’s going to be in features and backups in “Batman” so it’s really, really big. Part of the idea was, I was thinking to myself about six to seven months ago when I started working on it, there really hasn’t been a giant Joker story in “Batman” in the comics of Batman in a really long time. If I asked you right now, what was the last big Joker story?

I mean, my immediate reaction would be to say “The Killing Joke.”

Exactly! That’s what everyone says, “The Killing Joke.” But that’s over twenty years ago! Which is sort of stunning, because he’s had these great roles in other stories; I love his role in “Batman R.I.P.” I love his role in “Gotham Central” and different ways he’s played into stories. An actual, central Joker story, one that focuses on Joker as the main villain, is something we haven’t seen in quite a long time in comics, even though he’s been so ubiquitous and such a potent and strong character in the medium, in the movies and the animated stuff. If we’re going to use the Joker, we’re going to use him big so people are almost afraid to use him for another twenty years! [Laughs] We wanted to give him a story where we swing for the fence and there’s going to be tremendous repercussions for the family, tremendous repercussions for Batman and his life going forward. This is everybody playing ball in the Bat family.

When I was talking to Scott Lobdell about Jason [Todd], for example, one of the things we were saying is this big story about Jason has been told, this “A Death In The Family” story, so how are we going to go back and do something? What I was saying to him, and what he realized, too, is that “Death In The Family” is still a Batman story. It’s about Joker using Jason to torture and to break Batman — similarly, like we were saying, “The Killing Joke” is more of a Jim Gordon story than a Barbara Gordon story, even though those repercussions have had tremendous effects on Barbara and on Jason.

So, what would happen if Joker looked at Barbara and said, “I was just going for your father last time.” Not that he knows who she is — I’m saying, metaphorically, if he goes for Batgirl and she realizes, “He was pursuing Jim Gordon last time, not me, what terrible things will he have in story for me now that he’s looking me directly with those crazy eyes?” He would kill everybody in your family to break you, he would burn down everything that you love to break you. That’s part of the fun of the story; you haven’t seen these characters face Joker directly, and now you’re about to see it in all its horrifying glory.

Speaking of horrifying glory, looking at the cover of issue #13 we’ve got Greg Capullo’s illustration of the Joker applying lipstick to his face, that’s obviously not attached to his head. I have to ask, what’s the story with the makeup?

[Laughs] Well, Joker had his face removed for a reason, and the way he’s re-approaching the family has a lot to do with the way he looks. Right there in the image, he has that face over his face and he’s sort of dressing up to go out and do terrible things. In that way, I think the new look of the Joker — I know there are people out there saying, “Oh no, how are you going to deal with him, he doesn’t have a face?” — don’t worry about it. He’s going to look really scary! [Laughs] We have a very particular look in mind for him for this storyline. It’s straight up horror movie-frightening. It’s going to be iconic in its own right, but also play with the core iconic imagery of Joker. We’re not trying to redesign the Joker; we’re playing with the pieces that were there from the beginning of the New 52 with “Detective” and build you a Joker that is completely based on all the stuff we love about him at his core. But now that he’s back for the first time in a long time and he’s working, he has a slightly different look and his face will play a very big part in that. How he looks from the neck up will be one of the best parts of the entire series.

You’re talking about how this involves everyone in the Bat family — so is this going to be similar to what you did with the Talons and the “Night Of The Owls” where we’re going to see other writers involved, or is this self-contained in “Batman” and you’ll be writing portions of these other characters?

It’s going to be something where you are going to see them use Joker in their books. It’s going to cross over into a number of the Bat books as it goes forward, because I feel like it wouldn’t be fair for me to write Nightwing into “Batman” to show what I think Joker could do to him. I have too much respect for Kyle [Higgins] and what he does with “Nightwing,” and similar to Scott and “Red Hood” and Batgirl and Pete [Tomasi] with Damian. For us, it isn’t a matter of trying to build a story that then has all these moving parts. It’s similar to “Night Of The Owls” in that I wrote a Joker story, I’m working on this Joker story, and the way that Joker approaches the other members of the family is so dark and twisted that I basically called up the other members of the writing Bat family and said, “Do you guys want to play along?” [Editor] Mike Marts was really gracious about letting us do it and build something together.

So each one will be completely self-contained in the way that you will not have to pick up — and I cannot stress this enough — you will not have to pick up any book other than “Batman” to get the story in “Batman.” I would never do that to you as a reader! [Laughs] You will never have to read “Red Hood” or “Nightwing” or anything for the story in “Batman,” which is completely self-contained and completely individual.

That said, in those books, the way the writers are designing them, and they’re sort of each doing their own thing, is supposed to be completely self-contained as well. So it really will be something where when the Joker enters the book, it will be a storyline that continues and is part of what that writer has been doing with their character for a while. I really have too much respect for the other writers to try and shoehorn Joker in in a way that is completely predicated on how he needs to be in “Batman.” This is the Joker facing off with the family in particular ways in each book that really has to do with those characters and what they hold dear — and him basically tearing those things to shreds!

Remember….Batman #13 goes on sale October 10, 2012

(This is a reprint from an original article posted by CBR HERE)