Batman/ Wonder Woman: Truth writer Jeph Loeb opens up about pairing the two iconic heroes together in a one-shot special.
It is interesting to note that despite being in the Justice League regularly, Batman and Wonder Woman barely have any single team-up adventures. Part of this rarity is what made Loeb interested in writing Truth. A huge part of the appeal is how both characters operate very differently on an emotional level.
[Batman and Wonder Woman] seem like such an unlikely pairing, and yet, there’s something about how regal, elegant and smart she is, and how she truly believes that the best way for people to exist with each other is to try and understand each other. Whereas, Batman doesn’t have that interest at all.
So, to have an opportunity to have these two characters trying to find the truth in a situation was very appealing to me and it also allowed for great banter. And I love when two characters care about each other. One is completely walled off. One is completely open. And somehow, that enables them to work together. What made it appealing more than anything else was that Jim Cheung has the exceptional ability—I mean, it really is extraordinary—to draw expressions. To the point where there were a number of times where I just took out the dialogue because Jim sold it. Like it was there. Sometimes it’s just the way he lifts an eyebrow or he purses a lip. It’s pretty extraordinary.
Art by Jimmy Cheung
‘Batman/ Wonder Woman: Truth’ is a Epilogue to ‘Hush’
Some readers may not be aware, but Truth takes place only a few weeks after the events of the first Hush storyline. Long-time Bat-Fans may recall, the ending of Hush had Batman and Catwoman break up due to his level of distrust. Truth sort of talks about the emotional aftermath of that breakup. Both Batman and Catwoman are both featured and their unique ways of handling the breakup.
Now, it’s important for the readers to know, this story takes place a few weeks after the original Hush ends. And there were some very emotional moments at the end of that story where I wished I had another thirty pages. Batman had gone through the wringer. But what excited me about it was that we got permission from the powers that be to forever change the relationship between Batman and Catwoman. They were going to take off their masks…
…What I liked about Batman/Wonder Woman: Truth was here was an opportunity to tell a story that begins with someone who’s as clearheaded as Diana. Then you’ve got Batman, who’s completely walled off and not admitting anything happened, and Catwoman, who’s actually dealing with it. And then you add to it two elements.
One is the Lasso of Truth. What it does is it’s like any secret, which is there are two parts to a secret. There’s the answer, but there’s also the question. And the question tells you more about the character than the actual answer. If you only get one wish from the genie, what the wish is says more about you than what happens to you afterwards. That fascinated me.
Art by Jimmy Cheung
Sounds awesome. You can check out the rest of Jeph Loeb’s interview here, where you can also hear his thoughts on Batman and Catwoman not-wedding in Tom King’s run.
