Tom King Batman: Reread & Bat/Cat Appreciation 2020

[bob.schoonover]

I don't so much mind the aspersions cast upon the Batfamily, as I find Bane's ability to spend months sitting on a throne of skulls directing the underworld with no one at all, including Batman, finding out. The Skeets thing doesn't seem as big a deal, but that's partly because I just don't know much about Booster.

The "all according to keikakku" or however you spell it is classic Tom King, but even though it doesn't bother me, it does highlight why I think 85 or 100 issues are too long for this kind of plot.

The last issue, #74, is particularly powerful. When the two Batmen are fighting, and then one of them Rises...it's really good stuff.

And, of course, I'm Still Here.

It's mostly that Skeets is a 25th Century robot and the Riddler, while exceedingly smart (most of the time), isn't really known as a computer programming/hacker type. Just seems . . . off ... for him. If you told me it was Luthor as part of Year of the Villain or the Calculator or whatever, fine, it's still a ridiculous thing to have planned out (letting someone warp reality w/no guarantee they can unwarp it is . . . well, quite the roll of the dice). And frankly a little too much overkill (between the Joker and Holly, Selina got the message). The Booster thing being happenstance is also marginally implausible if it'd happened on its own, sure, but it's just a little too much for me. I enjoy the Booster story on its own merits, of course - just not that Skeets was part of the plan. Booster is incompetent enough on his own.

Yeah, I enjoy the heck out of their battle in 74, and the stakes involved. While King's version of Thomas kind of cuts against the sentiment Johns was going for at the end of Flashpoint, it really works because of The Button. Thomas got to see something new in Bruce and it kind of broke him. I should note that the Nain Pit is as much of a plot contrivance as anything else I've complained about, but it doesn't bother me at all because it fits within the mythology w/o taking anything away. Could there be a super Lazarus Pit? Sure! Would Ra's protect the heck out of it? Absolutely. Would Bruce be aware of the rumors but not entirely sure they're true? Sounds right for him. It all hangs together very well in a way something like "three of the six best super criminologists in the DC Universe and the only honest cop in Gotham could find no evidence of Bane pulling all the strings" does not. Sure, I get it, we're setting everything up to tear Batman down and have him rise up, no problem. I just think it'd have been a better choice if Bane had detained/incapacitated/distracted them rather than hoodwinked everyone by . . . supercriminal magic (since it's not explicated, I think this is as fair a way to describe destroying all computer records so thoroughly Tim and Barbara can't find any trace of them, as well as what happened to the bone throne when Jim went looking at Arkham).

[millernumber1]

Yeah, I enjoy the heck out of their battle in 74, and the stakes involved. While King's version of Thomas kind of cuts against the sentiment Johns was going for at the end of Flashpoint, it really works because of The Button. Thomas got to see something new in Bruce and it kind of broke him. I should note that the Nain Pit is as much of a plot contrivance as anything else I've complained about, but it doesn't bother me at all because it fits within the mythology w/o taking anything away. Could there be a super Lazarus Pit? Sure! Would Ra's protect the heck out of it? Absolutely. Would Bruce be aware of the rumors but not entirely sure they're true? Sounds right for him. It all hangs together very well in a way something like "three of the six best super criminologists in the DC Universe and the only honest cop in Gotham could find no evidence of Bane pulling all the strings" does not. Sure, I get it, we're setting everything up to tear Batman down and have him rise up, no problem. I just think it'd have been a better choice if Bane had detained/incapacitated/distracted them rather than hoodwinked everyone by . . . supercriminal magic (since it's not explicated, I think this is as fair a way to describe destroying all computer records so thoroughly Tim and Barbara can't find any trace of them, as well as what happened to the bone throne when Jim went looking at Arkham).

The Nain Pit is a classic King-ism. Exactly the same kind of thing as the Super Venom which gives powers for years of your life. Honestly, at this point I really want to see King write fanfic for Fullmetal Alchemist. Equivalent exchange! And yes - I think unlike the Super Venom, which was kind of a warping of the original bioethical strain of venom into some kind of morality parable symbol, the Nain Pit works - especially with the note that Thomas killed Talia and Ra's gave his life to raise her. That gave me little chills.

And agreed - I wish Bane had just fled, instead of being locked up in Arkham, after I Am Bane.

[BatmanJones]

I do love Alfred in King's run, but I agree - he's not built up enough for his death to be earned by King.

King didn't intend to kill Alfred. He intended it to be a fake-out. After the issue with the fake death was on the stands, DC changed their minds and mandated that his death would stick. King had to rewrite his last few issues on the fly, to accommodate that decision. This isn't just from bleedingcool. I have it from somewhere else as well.

(Edit: I should have read through the rest of the thread before posting. A few of you already beat me to it.)

Stay safe and stay inside, friends.

[millernumber1]

Are we going to take a couple weeks for CoB? If so, take it all at once over two weeks or split it into a couple pieces (75-79, 80-85)?

Forgot to answer this.

My current plan is to stick with reading all of City of Bane at once, because I want to see how it all fits together, and the half and half approach isn't really organic - like the I Am trilogy, City of Bane seems to me to be more or less constructed as a whole, with the Beach the only distraction, and it's really a parallel narrative, rather than a break.

I think it might be nice to have a "wrap up" week next week, with just the Detective Comics #1000 issue as our discussion piece, and just taking the time to talk about our feelings about the run after this four month reread project.

King didn't intend to kill Alfred. He intended it to be a fake-out. After the issue with the fake death was on the stands, DC changed their minds and mandated that his death would stick. King had to rewrite his last few issues on the fly, to accommodate that decision. This isn't just from bleedingcool. I have it from somewhere else as well.

(Edit: I should have read through the rest of the thread before posting. A few of you already beat me to it.)

Stay safe and stay inside, friends.

Good to see you again, friend! Hope you are also staying safe! And will join us for the finale!

[millernumber1]

Okay! Penultimate week: Batman: City of Bane.

And this is why I didn't want to break it up. I wanted to see how it all felt, reading all at once. 11 issues. Each one either a one or two-shot, all connecting into a larger picture. And it's beautiful.

And yet.

I see the pieces where editorial made King keep Alfred dead. I see the parts where King had to rush to end the story (even with 11 issues, this story is really, really full of stuff that could have used quite a bit more exploration). I see where editorial pushed King to make Thomas the villain rather than Bane, and the weird bend in the story that it creates.

King carries it off. I love the characters and the themes and the art - oh my, the art. Clay Mann on The Beach, Mikel Janin and Jorge Fornes drawing their hearts out, even JRJR and Daniel making pieces full of life and character, and Tomeu Morey burnishing it all beautifully.

But I hope. I really hope that Bat/Cat is without interference. That they'll just let him tell the story.

What do you all think of City of Bane: 1-11?

[Chubistian]

City of Bane.
Visually, it's great, even though it has many pencillers, many who don't fit in style, everyone with his strength and weaknesess but, at the end, a great work to deliver.

Narratively, the story has some cracks and overall, there're way too many plot points that aren't properly introduced.

Super-Venom is a big problem I have, because even when Bruce's mentor was introduced previously, it wasn't done with enough importance for me as a reader to buy that he would go with him to secure this new version of the popular steroid.

The way the story is divided between what happens in Gotham and what is going on with Bat and Cat seems linear at first, like parallel events, but suddenly the interlude starts before the events that transpired in Gotham last issue and that doesn't make it a solid division.

Another plot point that isn't properly developed is related to Alfred's sacrifice and the whole mechanism with which he could message the Bat-Family about his security and how Thomas knew about it and which purpose did the sacrifice had, if the plan against Gotham Girl was already in motion anyways. Also, Clayface's infiltration was irrelevant at the end. In conclusion, Alfred's death doesn't entirely work, even when Tom King puts a lot of work in it with issue #83, which in itself is great,


Still, I think the good surpasses the bad.

Thematically, City of Bane is great, making a progression in a character that sometimes seems stuck in the same circle of pain and sorrow. Bruce finally admitting that he can be happy and that Batman is a decision is beautiful and it's incredibly well handled.

I love the Interlude and the final issue of this arc. I think, despite the Super-Venom pseudo science, the fight between the couple and Bane is great and the parallelism in City of Bane with so many scenes of other arcs of this run works perfectly.

That ending with Campbell seemingly winning the game is a nice metaphor on one of this run most important topics, the repetition of it all, first introduced by Calendar Man in I Am Bane if I remember correctly, and how change can exist, which also talks about the whole superhero genre in DC and Marvel. The final lecture on how it's wrong to look for good deaths when one should be looking to live a good life is the perfect closure to this huge run

[millernumber1]

City of Bane.
Visually, it's great, even though it has many pencillers, many who don't fit in style, everyone with his strength and weaknesess but, at the end, a great work to deliver.

Narratively, the story has some cracks and overall, there're way too many plot points that aren't properly introduced.

Super-Venom is a big problem I have, because even when Bruce's mentor was introduced previously, it wasn't done with enough importance for me as a reader to buy that he would go with him to secure this new version of the popular steroid.

The way the story is divided between what happens in Gotham and what is going on with Bat and Cat seems linear at first, like parallel events, but suddenly the interlude starts before the events that transpired in Gotham last issue and that doesn't make it a solid division.

Another plot point that isn't properly developed is related to Alfred's sacrifice and the whole mechanism with which he could message the Bat-Family about his security and how Thomas knew about it and which purpose did the sacrifice had, if the plan against Gotham Girl was already in motion anyways. Also, Clayface's infiltration was irrelevant at the end. In conclusion, Alfred's death doesn't entirely work, even when Tom King puts a lot of work in it with issue #83, which in itself is great,


Still, I think the good surpasses the bad.

Thematically, City of Bane is great, making a progression in a character that sometimes seems stuck in the same circle of pain and sorrow. Bruce finally admitting that he can be happy and that Batman is a decision is beautiful and it's incredibly well handled.

I love the Interlude and the final issue of this arc. I think, despite the Super-Venom pseudo science, the fight between the couple and Bane is great and the parallelism in City of Bane with so many scenes of other arcs of this run works perfectly.

That ending with Campbell seemingly winning the game is a nice metaphor on one of this run most important topics, the repetition of it all, first introduced by Calendar Man in I Am Bane if I remember correctly, and how change can exist, which also talks about the whole superhero genre in DC and Marvel. The final lecture on how it's wrong to look for good deaths when one should be looking to live a good life is the perfect closure to this huge run

Awesome meditation! I think, after Knightmares, any variations in style aren't going to be as far out as Amanda Conner was . All the artists are doing just stunning work, even ones I don't usually like (mostly Tony Daniel). I don't really see how the Mitch Gerads epilogues were really necessary, but they were really well done.

I agree about Super-Venom. I think that Bruce giving the Memory of the Mountain the drug and the puppet wasn't a problem for me - but I think that Super-Venom, while it's a convenient way to tie Gotham and Gotham Girl to Bane, it makes very little sense in terms of the magical nature of their powers - "life for powers." That has the hallmarks of magic, not semi-science-fiction like Venom, because of the moral quality of it. But eh.

Alfred's sacrifice and the message Bruce received from Alfred/Thomas are where I really see editorial interference. Because it really, really feels like Alfred's death is a cheat, meant to be retconned relatively soon. There are SO MANY WAYS King sets up for it. The Nain Pit. Clayface. All the mind manipulation from Psycho Pirate or even Scarecrow. And it just feels like a broken bit, because Alfred doesn't play a big enough part in the story preceding to make his death work, even though, as you say, issue #83 is heartbreaking and brilliantly well done. But it's too late in the run to really make the death connect beyond that issue and in #85.

And I completely agree that the good surpasses the bad. Particularly since the message of this run is: Batman can grow. Batman can find joy, even while doing everything he can to save people from the dark. It's the opposite of the last two runs - Snyder, who believes that Batman is an impossible, beautiful, tragic dream, who can never be real because he can never be that dedicated to the mission, so if you write him, he can never find true love. Morrison, who believes that Batman is one of the most exciting children's fantasies, but cannot hold up against real evil, and has to be rescued by a counter-evil who murders his biggest threat, after Batman himself has lost everything dearest to him (his son, his city, his ability to save the world, his love for Talia). King stands at the end of 85 issues and says, "Maybe he can get back up again." And it's not breaking the legend, because the idea that Batman can rise again after falling has been central to the myth for a long, long time.

And the message that we should look for a good life, not a good death - I think that's always going to be worthwhile.

[Chubistian]

Awesome meditation! I think, after Knightmares, any variations in style aren't going to be as far out as Amanda Conner was . All the artists are doing just stunning work, even ones I don't usually like (mostly Tony Daniel). I don't really see how the Mitch Gerads epilogues were really necessary, but they were really well done.

I agree about Super-Venom. I think that Bruce giving the Memory of the Mountain the drug and the puppet wasn't a problem for me - but I think that Super-Venom, while it's a convenient way to tie Gotham and Gotham Girl to Bane, it makes very little sense in terms of the magical nature of their powers - "life for powers." That has the hallmarks of magic, not semi-science-fiction like Venom, because of the moral quality of it. But eh.

Alfred's sacrifice and the message Bruce received from Alfred/Thomas are where I really see editorial interference. Because it really, really feels like Alfred's death is a cheat, meant to be retconned relatively soon. There are SO MANY WAYS King sets up for it. The Nain Pit. Clayface. All the mind manipulation from Psycho Pirate or even Scarecrow. And it just feels like a broken bit, because Alfred doesn't play a big enough part in the story preceding to make his death work, even though, as you say, issue #83 is heartbreaking and brilliantly well done. But it's too late in the run to really make the death connect beyond that issue and in #85.

And I completely agree that the good surpasses the bad. Particularly since the message of this run is: Batman can grow. Batman can find joy, even while doing everything he can to save people from the dark. It's the opposite of the last two runs - Snyder, who believes that Batman is an impossible, beautiful, tragic dream, who can never be real because he can never be that dedicated to the mission, so if you write him, he can never find true love. Morrison, who believes that Batman is one of the most exciting children's fantasies, but cannot hold up against real evil, and has to be rescued by a counter-evil who murders his biggest threat, after Batman himself has lost everything dearest to him (his son, his city, his ability to save the world, his love for Talia). King stands at the end of 85 issues and says, "Maybe he can get back up again." And it's not breaking the legend, because the idea that Batman can rise again after falling has been central to the myth for a long, long time.

And the message that we should look for a good life, not a good death - I think that's always going to be worthwhile.

Great interpretation of the message of the run! It's fun to think that Tom King's Batman, that at times looked like the most depressing version, is actually the one that ends up the happiest

I didn't see anything relevant in the epilogues Mitch Gerads did. The first one gave some context that was reiterated in the following issues, but the second one seems to exist just to create the idea that the event with the Legion of Doom in Scott Snyder's Justice League is relevant and everything happening in DC is part of a shared Universe, though as far as I know it actually created some continuity inconstances with the trick of showing the logo of the Legion in the sky.

I agree about Super-Venom. If you already have time travel, Psycho Pirate, the Gentle Man, etcetera, it would have been better to think a more accurate answer to Gotham Girl's powers. The different shapes Venom has taken in DC's continuity would make even Captain America's supersoldier serum jealous

[millernumber1]

Final Week: Detective Comics #1000

And we come, at last, to the end. With an issue that originally was released in March of 2019, when the Batman title was in the middle of the Knightmares, issues 66 and 67. King said his story was meant to summarize his thoughts on Batman, as well as being a companion to his piece in Action Comics #1000, “Of Tomorrow,” which showed Superman billions of years in the future, saying goodbye to the Earth with a farewell to his parents. This story is deliberately a happier one, showing “Batman’s Greatest Case”, which is summed up in the lovely little dialogue between Dick and Damian in the end - how do you solve the problem of a lost family? You find a new one, and make everyone in it as strong as you can.

One of the real strengths of this piece is the voicing. King really nails Dick and Damian, and gives most of the other characters reasonably strong throughlines - Jason’s worry about being kicked out, Barbara’s desire to be taken seriously. I actually have come to not like King’s Barbara in both this and Heroes in Crisis, but he at least has a good sense of who he wants her to be, and not just writing her the same as everyone else. King only really writes one exchange each for Tim and Steph, but I think gets them really nicely - Steph’s flirty, mischievous, corny style, and Tim’s more serious, uncertain response.

The art is a bit of an odd thing for me. I don’t really see the reason for having two artists on such a short story. Tony Daniel is pretty good, except for the weird way he drew most of the female characters’ boobs. I kind of wish that Daniel and Jones had switched places so I could see what Jones would do with all the Batfamily, but I did appreciate Daniel’s enthusiasm for the project - he talked in various places about his enjoyment of drawing everyone, and especially of getting to draw Cassandra Cain again after redesigning her for Batman and Robin Eternal.

Questions for all of you who came with me from January and read all the way through King’s run, and those who may have just followed along in the conversation:

1) What issue do you think is more representative of King’s run on Batman? Is it Tec 1000, with its statement of Batman’s family? Or Annual #4, with its thesis about Batman working every day to make the world a better place? Or Annual #2, with its focus on the love between Batman and Catwoman? Or Annual #1, with the emphasis on the love of family through Alfred and Ace? The Brave and the Mold, because of its focus on the death of fathers and what we do when we’re still here? The end of I Am Bane because of the conversation between Batman and his mother, ending with “I’m still here”? #85, the end of all things, because it ties it all together?

2) What is your favorite half (counting 50 as the halfway mark, even though it isn’t), arc (longer than two issues), and single issue of the run? Is your favorite single issue the same as your answer for #1?

Thank you all, so much, for participating! I have some ideas of what to do next, but will wait till closer to next Wednesday to propose them!

[Chubistian]

It's interesting that Tom King chose a more, let's just say depressing (I'm sure there's a better word), approach in his Superman story in AC #1000, while using a more optimistic vision to his Tec #1000 story, contrasting in tone to what one expects from these characters. Batman Greatest's Case manages, first, to show the Batfamily as exactly that: a family, no matter how varied the mix. A lot of cool banter between the characters and overall, a lot of fun. But it also accomplishes a great understanding of a fight Bruce carries along his war on crime: His fight to form a new family and give those who have suffered like he did or just want to do what's best for Gotham a place to be understanded and accepted. Visually, I like the combination of Joelle Jones and Tony S. Daniel pencils, and the different moods the colors build. I agree that it would've been interesting to see Jones's take on the Batfamily, but I think the final product is pretty solid.

About your questions:

1) I think there're many great examples that you listed as options that summarize King's vision on Batman, but if I had to choose one that represents the overall run, where the relationship between Bat and Cat is pivotal, I would go with Annual #2
2) I just can't get myself to choose a half. I will say that the first half has more outstanding material, such as The Brave and The Mold and Annual 2, but the second "half" hold itself together better as a big epic story that builds the plot with each new chapter. The first hald had more moments, maybe because it's longer, that didn't seem necessary to the grand scheme. My favorites arc are the I AM Trilogy (is that cheating? I'm not a big fan of I Am Gotham, but I think the trilogy as a whole works), Cold Days, The Fall and the Fallen and City of Bane (despite its major flaws, the high points are way too high). I also have many favorite single issues (I suck at rankings), Batman #15, #23, Annual #2, #36 and #37, #66, #85, Batman/Elmer Fudd and Annual #4


I noticed that in one issue, I think it was Pyg's in Knightmares, Batman mentions a batarang he carries in his back, which is the trick he uses against Bane in their final fight in City of Bane

[millernumber1]

It's interesting that Tom King chose a more, let's just say depressing (I'm sure there's a better word), approach in his Superman story in AC #1000, while using a more optimistic vision to his Tec #1000 story, contrasting in tone to what one expects from these characters. Batman Greatest's Case manages, first, to show the Batfamily as exactly that: a family, no matter how varied the mix. A lot of cool banter between the characters and overall, a lot of fun. But it also accomplishes a great understanding of a fight Bruce carries along his war on crime: His fight to form a new family and give those who have suffered like he did or just want to do what's best for Gotham a place to be understanded and accepted. Visually, I like the combination of Joelle Jones and Tony S. Daniel pencils, and the different moods the colors build. I agree that it would've been interesting to see Jones's take on the Batfamily, but I think the final product is pretty solid.

About your questions:

1) I think there're many great examples that you listed as options that summarize King's vision on Batman, but if I had to choose one that represents the overall run, where the relationship between Bat and Cat is pivotal, I would go with Annual #2
2) I just can't get myself to choose a half. I will say that the first half has more outstanding material, such as The Brave and The Mold and Annual 2, but the second "half" hold itself together better as a big epic story that builds the plot with each new chapter. The first hald had more moments, maybe because it's longer, that didn't seem necessary to the grand scheme. My favorites arc are the I AM Trilogy (is that cheating? I'm not a big fan of I Am Gotham, but I think the trilogy as a whole works), Cold Days, The Fall and the Fallen and City of Bane (despite its major flaws, the high points are way too high). I also have many favorite single issues (I suck at rankings), Batman #15, #23, Annual #2, #36 and #37, #66, #85, Batman/Elmer Fudd and Annual #4


I noticed that in one issue, I think it was Pyg's in Knightmares, Batman mentions a batarang he carries in his back, which is the trick he uses against Bane in their final fight in City of Bane

I'd say that King's Action story focuses on loss and memory, while his Detective story focuses on growth and healing. And exactly as you say - Tec 1000 shows, to me, that Batman isn't a character who is only defined by his loss - he's defined by what he chooses to do with that loss - similar to what Batman Begins said.

Annual #2 is such an amazing issue, and clearly a roadmap for the future (Bat/Cat and City of Bane, with the Memory of the Mountain and Catwoman by Batman's side). Not to mention that ART.

For me, the second half is definitely my favorite. Not that there aren't amazing issues all the way through, but the second half was when it started really hitting the emotional beats that cut straight to my heart consistently. Those are all really solid single issue picks! I'm still ruminating a bit on mine, but some of them are definitely #32, #9, #66, Annuals #1, 2, and 4, and #83.

Last note for this post - Tom King is doing a Q&A on DCUniverse's community forums at 5pm CST today, if anyone's a member!

[Chubistian]

I'd say that King's Action story focuses on loss and memory, while his Detective story focuses on growth and healing. And exactly as you say - Tec 1000 shows, to me, that Batman isn't a character who is only defined by his loss - he's defined by what he chooses to do with that loss - similar to what Batman Begins said.

Annual #2 is such an amazing issue, and clearly a roadmap for the future (Bat/Cat and City of Bane, with the Memory of the Mountain and Catwoman by Batman's side). Not to mention that ART.

For me, the second half is definitely my favorite. Not that there aren't amazing issues all the way through, but the second half was when it started really hitting the emotional beats that cut straight to my heart consistently. Those are all really solid single issue picks! I'm still ruminating a bit on mine, but some of them are definitely #32, #9, #66, Annuals #1, 2, and 4, and #83.

Last note for this post - Tom King is doing a Q&A on DCUniverse's community forums at 5pm CST today, if anyone's a member!

Great thoughts on AC and Tec 1000! It was pretty cool to do this re-read of King's run and comment on it

[millernumber1]

Okay, Tom King's Q&A on DCUniverse just ended, and beside the Stephanie Brown question that some weirdo asked him, he had some really cool insights about his Batman run!

Highlights relating to his Batman run:

"Q: Scott Snyder tells the story of how Grant Morrison advised him “to imagine a birth and an end for your version of Bruce.” Do you have a vision of your Batman’s “beginning and probable end” (to steal a quote from Denny O’Neil)? And how did the Rebirth initiative help to shape that vision?

A: Ha! Yes. I remember him telling me this just as I started out. And realizing that Grant and Scott had done it over dozens of issues, I decided to do it in one. Just to be difficult. I put the birth and death in Batman Annual 2. The start of his relationship with Catwoman to the end of his life. Probably the best issue I wrote. Bat/Cat comes right out of that issue."

"Q: What kind of stories would have been in Batman if you were given the 100 issue run

A: Well that’s very kind. Thank you. You rock.

Our plan for those missing 15 issues was always to do some more BTAS type of one and two shots showing Bat/Cat working as a team, finding each other again, leading up to a wedding of sorts in 100. Sort of Batman outside of the Bane plan moving forward. It would’ve been a lot of fun, but I don’t regret not doing cause now I get to read what Jame is doing and he’s killing it. And emotionally we got to where we needed to get, to Batman making a second vow in 85. Bat/Cat will be sort of taking that moment and turning it into a DKR huge story. Going to be as good as I can make it."

"Q: you’ve mention Batman/Catwoman is connected to 5G in an interview. Can you give any more details?

A: 5g is in eternal flux as it should; they want to get it right. Bat/Cat however is not. Clay and I came up with the story last year and we keep moving forward. The story is an attempt to do a DKR type Batman event, something that will define Batman and Catwoman for some time to come. So like DKR it’ll stand apart, but like DKR - it it’s good - it’ll have impact beyond itself. I hope. The Clay Mann art is the best art I’ve ever seen on a comic, so at least I know it’ll be nice to look at."

"Q: Hello Tom! I really enjoyed your Grayson and Mister Miracle, and I am really looking forward to your Bat and the Cat story continuing. I know you focus on a core theme in your books, and I was wondering what your theme for Strange Adventures is?

A: You rock, thank you!

Like I said above, theme emerges as your telling the story as it interacts with the readers. I can tell you what I’m trying to do, which is sort of talk about our current moment, talk about the people who are lying to us and what that does to us and how hard it can be to get at the truth, how sometimes that battle seems to destroy us. Unlike Miracle, this is much angrier book in its way. I’m almost tired of the we need to find a way to live and ready for we need to find a way to fight. We’re on issue 5 now, and I think that’s coming across."

"Q: Hello Tom, I have a question, What was it like writing a Crossover with Batman and Elmer Fudd? I just love how realistic the Looney Tunes characters are.

A: Thankyou for your time.:grinning:

That was the most fun. I remember live tweeting the script because I was laughing I was reading it. I find the more fun I have writing something the better it is. Then Lee started drawing it and he took it all so seriously, and I think that’s why it works. Because Lee didn’t draw the joke. The contrast between that and the silly underneath made that book. I feel like I’m bragging too much. Sorry."

"Q: Hello,
Given the nature of comics, it seems likely that Alfred will return some day so I am wondering, do you think about the long term evolution of the characters when you’re writing or do you only focus on your own window of time?
If you could pick one plot/character development from your stories that could never be undone by another creator, what would it be?
Thank you.

A: I think you have to focus on your window of time, build on what others have done and let them build on what you did. All of which includes tearing stuff down. I think the other way lies madness and resentment and all that, and who has time for that, there are comics to write. I love Alan Moore and I still did the Button, who am to complain? I’m proud of what I wrote and another writer changing something doesn’t change my words.

Probably if I had to pick something it would be to keep Gotham Girl as something cool as a good guy. She’s named after my daughter, Claire and so I like to show her comics where she appears and it’d be hard to see her like doing a lot of evil things. Though maybe in the right way, it could be cool.

And thank you."

"A: Can we talk about the Nain Pit? You introduced this new type of Lazarus Pit in your Batman run which exchanges a life for a life. I was certain it would be used at the end of your run for the return of a certain butler… but now it hangs over the story like an unfired Chekov’s gun. Do you have any plans in waiting for the Nain Pit?

Q: Oh man, that was part of a whole story that got cut at the last second. There was supposed to be this big desert story in batman 70-74 and at the end Batman would have to choose if he was willing to kill Ra’s to bring back his mother…we had to condense that all into 73, 74, which are cool issues. Nonetheless…ah the stories untold…"

(tbc)

[millernumber1]

"Q: How did the idea come about to have Nightwing get shot in the head by KGBeast? Obviously it made for a great cliffhanger, but I’m curious to know how involved you were with the direction of that character.

A: I’ve told this before, but it was just supposed to be a short story where Nightwing recovered much more quickly. Like two issues. When they wanted to expand it, I proposed that they do a story where Tim has to take care of Dick while he recovers from a brain injury, teaching him who he is, how he can fight, and in the meantime, Tim takes on the Nightwing costume to maintain that legacy. A story of two brothers sort of learning how much they need each other. They went in a different direction."

"Q: 1.Why did you decide to make Bane the “big bad” of the run?

2.A fun one. What kind of flavor of wedding cake would Batman and Catwoman have if they had a cake?

A: I loved Bane’s origin story. 17 years spent in a cell alone that flooded each night so he had to tread water to stay alive and eat the fish he could catch in his teeth. That meant really that his power was will power, which is Batman’s power. It seemed that they were perfectly matched in that way. I wanted to see them fight–it’s as simple as that.

Bruce wouldn’t care as he can’t eat cake because he’s training. Catwoman would want the most expensive cake ever made, eat one bite, laugh and get some donut holes from an Entimens she stole from 7/11."

"Q: 1- How important is it to keep the character of Batman growing as a character, as we have seen with him finding love in Selina while still being Batman and finding that balance in your Batman run?
2- why do you think Bruce and Selina are so popular as a couple and work so well as a couple in so many different mediums? Their relationship may be unconventional, but it seems to work in their own way and resonate for so many fans.

A: I think it’s vital and it’s been done thought out his history. Adams grew him as a character. So did Miller and Morrison. I think Batman has to come to us to be relevant, he has to come to our time and deal with our issues, he can’t be stuck in some past vision of the character or else he’ll become like Tarzan or Flash Gordon, just sort of genre stories that are eventually forgotten. Growth equals relevance. That said, you can’t lose the core. The core is he’s the bad ass of bad asses and he fights because of what he lost.

I think it’s because they don’t work as a couple. The one thing batman cares about is his war on criminals. That is above all else. And he fell in love with a criminal, a woman with a keen respect for justice but who could care less about the law. That is a forever tension that speaks to all of our instincts: I love this thing I shouldn’t love…it’s where most stories come from.

And thank you."

"Q: I’m probably not the only person who first encountered Kite Man through the great Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon. So I’m curious for you:

-How/Where did you first discover Kite Man before you began your Batman run?
-What do think of how Kite Man’s portrayal in Harley Quinn cartoon and did you ever expect his catchphrase “Hell, yeah!” to be used in media outside of comics?
:kiteman2_hqtas:

A: Love that cartoon. Highly underated Batman and like the best Aquaman…

Just started as a tribute to Miller’s stilt man from his Daredevil run. I literally googled worst bat villains for issue 6 of batman and I put three of them in there. I added the Hell yeah thing because the picture Reis drew needed more words. Who knew?

I love it. I see tee-shirts of it. It’s so cool. I can’t even. I did not expect anyone would care about Kite Man ever."

"A: With such a diverse collection of amazing art talent who worked on Batman with you - each with their own style - what kind of moves and changes did you have to make along the way to keep ensuring good collaborations and teamwork through the years of working on 1 specific book?

Q: Not too many…and yet so many. This was the great challenge of the double ship and some stupid vow I made to not continue a story with a separate artist, to give each artist the whole story (a vow I broke in City of Bane, alas). I tried always to let the artist available lead, to write what was best for that artist. A little more intimate for Gerads, a little more bombastic for Daniel. Everything for Mikel who was the backbone, that sort of thing. I hope I did it all right."

"Q: What struggles did you have writing for Batman as opposed to others?

A: Mostly the Frank Miller factor. The idea that the best Batman stories had been written and we’re all sort of writing in Frank’s shadow. It’s hard to get out of that and you can get stuck in it, not being ambitions enough or being too ambitious. Also the lack of locals is sometimes hard. Like once you do a fight on a roof top and a fight in an alley, you’re…where do you go?"

[Chubistian]

Thank for bringing the interview to this thread. Great questions and amazing answers. I must admit, I'm a little hurt after reading that bit about the Nain Pit. So many stories that never see the light. I knew that Tom King had other idea about which path Nightwing should follow after being shot, but I didn't know what he had in plan. Another storyline that I wish could have been done