Nowadays, I’ve come to understand that Scott Snyder is just a gifted writer. People may not necessarily agree with some of the plot points that he’s come up with over the last few months, but whatever content he’s writing, he’s always going to write it with grace.
Newsarama sat down with Snyder at NYCC (and only just put it up a couple days ago) and discussed all sorts of things. Snyder, of course, delivers. In the interview, he waxes poetic (that’s no exaggeration) on many different topics, but I’m just here to bring you the highlights. If you have the time and curiosity, check out the full interview.
Despite what you may think about Scott Snyder’s currently contentious Batman arc, “Superheavy,” it seems like issue 44 was getting a lot of attention for being able to address social issues as well as it did in such a over-the-top arc so far. Newsarama asked him about if it was always his intention to insert something so cerebral into such a cartoony arc.
“What I wanted was this: My favorite stories translate social problems into potent, resonant comic book language. I’m trying to do that in “Zero Year” where the Red Hood Gang represents gun violence and the Riddler inspires these super storms with his weather machinery, but really, it’s about the earth and climate change. It’s the translation of the real world into cartoonishness, but I’m still trying to keep it scary. Now, this arc is more bombastic than any we’ve done. It’s energy monsters, robots, and all sorts of crazy stuff. But at it’s heart, it’s about a man who’s believed in the things we’ve put in place to protect ourselves his whole life. The police, local government, even business – Gordon is someone who believes that the mechanisms that exist in a city like Gotham…and New York, Baltimore, or Chicago are to protect the people of that city and to make life vibrant and good.”
Newsarama then goes on to the address the different versions of Batman that Snyder has managed to balance in the “Superheavy” arc, one that is fun and thrilling as opposed to the stoic, symbolic version of him. Snyder claims that it’s not something that he does entirely consciously, “I know what I want to say, I know what I want to question, and I’m less concerned about finding answers as I am about exploring.” Snyder then goes on to explain that it’s really the artist that guides his pen. He writes according to the artist’s strengths.
And of course, Newsarama pokes at the elephant in the room: the small hiatus that Greg Capullo will be taking after Batman #51. Snyder says, “Now, I don’t know if this is entirely okay to say, but one of the things I’d say is Greg is going to be stepping off the series with Batman #51 for a little while. Not very long, but for a short period. I’m going to hold down Batman while he’s going, and I have some very big plans for that time, which I’m pretty excited about.” Overall, it’s concluded that this time apart will certainly reinvigorate their creativity for when Capullo does return.
And the big thing that every Batfan is buzzing about: Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Newsarama asks about his involvement with the series. Apparently, there was a rumor that he was involved, but now, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Snyder explains:
“To be completely frank with you, it happened like this: I was invited to be a part of Dark Knight III pretty early on. Me, Brian, Frank and a couple of artists. Now, Brian and Frank had a real rapport from their history together. Also, the work was extremely intense, and that required going to Frank’s studio and talking to him daily about it. Having two young kids and having the workload that I have… well, I realized that while I was invited to help them do it, I wasn’t going to be doing them any favors being a part of it. I would constantly be in a place of constantly catching up.“
Overall, he blames his own busy schedule and believes that his lack of experiences with the two old timers and old friends will simply hinder their creative process. Personally, a fresh voice like his would certainly have pushed Miller into a different creative place. It’s really unfortunate that Snyder isn’t involved, but it’s understandable if he simply couldn’t take on another project.
The rest of the interview compares his Batman to that of Frank Miller’s and Grant Morrison’s, both of whom have influenced him greatly.
Simply put, I think the guy’s a poet. And it’s great to have someone so talented at the helm to my favorite comic book superhero.