Q&A with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
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Q: What is it like working on a huge initiative like The New 52?
Scott Snyder: For me it was exciting because we were given the
rtunity to work on characters we love with no restrictions.
So if the best story meant making changes to a character's
history, there was flexibility to do so. With an imitative this
big, seeing how many new readers came to the table to read comics
after having lapsed, or never having read one at all, was a real
thrill.
Q: What would you say defines the characters you are working on?
SS: For Batman, what defines him is his relentless
determination, which is both his most heroic quality and his most
pathological. For Swamp Thing, I'd say what defines him is his
inability to give up his humanity even when he's at his most
monstrous.
Q: What stories or creators inspire you most when working on
your character?
SS: For Batman, I have my favorites: Dark Knight Returns and
Year One, but it's hard to only pick a couple because he's a
character who grew up alongside me, where the kinds of stories
that were being told about him were becoming more sophisticated
and complex right as I was coming of age. And now the fun thing
is that I have a five-year-old son and I get to fall in love with
some of the tamer versions of Batman all over again.
Q: Do you keep up with any of the other New 52 books? Which ones
and why?
SS: My favorite of The New 52 would have to be Animal Man by
Jeff Lemire, who is also one of my closest friends. And I'm
really excited to be a part of everything happening in Gotham
between Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Nightwing, and all the great
books in our neighborhood. I particularly like All-Star Western
for its interesting mix of old west and gothic horror.
Q: Has social media and increased direct interaction with DC
Comics' fans changed your writing/drawing approach at all in
regards to The New 52?
SS: It hasn't changed my writing approach; it has made me
appreciate how much the fans love these characters. I always knew
it, but seeing the responses online through Twitter and Facebook
is overwhelming and inspirational. It's like being at a con all
the time. I brought my wife to her first con last year and when I
asked her what she thought, she said--and I was nervous to hear
her response--that she was really moved by how passionate the
fans were about these characters, and I feel the same way.
Q: When it comes to writing Batman, are you distinguishing this
version from the previous one? Is your approach to the character
different than the pre-New 52 Batman?
SS: No, my version of Batman is as different as the version that
came before, just like every version is, because the truth is,
the only way to write a character as iconic as Batman is to
accept that you're going to have to make him your own, almost as
if you were writing fan fiction and no one is ever going to read
it. If I started thinking of all the amazing versions of the
character that have come before, I would be paralyzed.
Q: You and Jeff Lemire tend to Twitter war each other often. How
has this affected you when it comes to writing Swamp Thing and
its ties to Animal Man?
SS: For me, our Twitter war is fun because while we insult each
other online, usually we are texting each other offline, laughing
about the whole thing. Jeff is one of the creators who inspire me
the most for his sense of story and his dedication to characters.
Q: Greg, what's it like for you to work on the iconic Bat-Family
and Batman villains? You even redesigned the Batman Rogues in the
very first issue!
Greg Capullo: Well, everyone has probably heard me say by now
that I first drew Batman and Robin when I was four years old. My
mom has it somewhere. It was crude, but clear who they were, so
to be drawing them professionally all these years later is really
cool. I can tell you that I'm super excited to be drawing Batman
and, though I admit to being a bit jaded, I was never so nervous
(except for maybe my first work for Marvel) as when DC asked me
to relaunch Batman from issue no. 1. Terrifying, is what it was.
Especially being that I was aware of some of the fear out there
that I was going to be turning Batman into Spawn, as I'd worked
for years on that book. I really felt like an underdog. I was
always confident (after the nerves settled) that those fears
would be replaced with joy. I mean, I love Batman the same as
you. I don't want to mess him up!
The Rogues, Ah, the Rogues. Well, they weren't really redesigns.
I guess to some extent they were. But, they were locked up in
Arkham. So, it was more like: what ways might a prisoner come up
with to maintain his or her persona behind bars? That became the
question. Speaking of, how about the Riddler's mohawk? HA! I
think some Batman fans actually wanted to lynch me for giving him
that! The Joker was the closest I got to a redesign. I'd love to
get my hands on him for a story arc!
Q: The New 52 introduces a younger universe of heroes and I
think your art very much reflects that. Is this a conscious
thought when you're working on the title?
GC: Absolutely. I was given the characters' ages up front. Some
complained that I draw Bruce and the family too young. The fact
is I'm drawing them exactly as the powers that be want them to
appear. As a professional, you want to give the client, in this
case DC, what it is they're looking for. However, I listen very
closely to the fans. After all, without them, we're nowhere. I've
tried to make subtle changes based on what some of them were
saying. My hope at the end of the day is that everyone will be
pleased, even though that is completely impossible. Still, I'll
always try. Now, I'm off to the Bat Cave to draw me some more
Batman!