Broken Frontier

Writer Paul Dini impressed many fans and creators alike with his work on the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series. He is currently bringing his take on the Dark Knight to DC’s Detective Comics, in many ways the center of the Batman world. During a phone press conference, Dini, along with DC Comics Executive Editor Dan DiDio and Coordinating Editor Jann Jones, discussed his plans for the title.

To begin with, Dini addressed what had brought him to this current assignment. He talked about his love for the Batman character and how his experiences on Batman: The Animated Series had attracted DC’s attention. Initially, it seems Dini was considered for the All-Star Batman title, a series on which he could flex his creative muscles without influence from the rest of the Batman line. However, when he discovered that DC wanted to take Detective back to a more old-fashioned approach of done-in-one standalone stories, Dini was intrigued. This presented a unique opportunity for the writer, a chance to utilize the episodic style he had mastered working in animation. He wanted to take a new approach to old villains, introduce new characters, and bring the focus back to Bruce Wayne.

At this point, Dan DiDio added his thoughts on why DC has chosen to take this tactic with one of their longest running titles. Reading comics as a kid, DiDio had always loved Batman and enjoyed the focus on detective work. The comics of the time were often self-contained mysteries and he felt it was time to go back to this approach, back to what so many people had fallen in love with.

He also felt the spotlight should shift back to Bruce Wayne, "a character who’d been largely missing from the DC Universe for a while." In recent years, Batman had been going down a dark, obsessive path and his alter ego had fallen by the wayside. Dini agreed wholeheartedly. "To me, Bruce Wayne is the real guy. Batman is the edge he needs to solve the crime."

As stated, the done-in-one style allowed each story to be approached almost as episodes, rather than single issues. This played to some of Dini’s strengths. Both he and DiDio knew that the immediate fan reaction might be that these singular stories would have little impact, that they’d just come in and out with no consequence. But Dini said this was not necessarily the case. In this style, "a writer can plant little seeds that take a while to sprout" but could build and come back later in the run when least expected.

According to Dini, the biggest difference between working in the comics versus on the Animated Series is that he is allowed to take things down a slightly darker, more adult road. "On the show, we could have the intent of death," Dini said but rarely did the censors allow them to script an actual murder mystery or death scene. In the comics, no such limitations are present.

That said, with the focus returning to Bruce Wayne, Dini didn’t want it to be all darkness and death. "Paul brings a lighter touch," DiDio said. "A little more humor. He humanizes Bruce Wayne and he humanizes Batman." A Batman with a lighter side may seem odd to some fans but Dini is convinced it is necessary. "Bruce needs a sense of humor to do what he does and not go crazy, even if it’s a morbid one," Dini added, citing examples of the black humor of cops or soldiers in war.

Early in Dini’s run, the animated character Roxie Rocket made her debut in the DC Universe. When asked if the writer planned to bring any other elements of the animated Batman to the comics, Dini commented that "through osmosis, elements of the show are already bleeding through to the comics, whether it be a character, attitude, or a piece of characterization." He was pleased and honored that his and the other writers’ work on the series had influenced comics creators. It seems that influence is being honored in return, for the animated-style font used by the letterer of Dini’s issues came as a complete surprise to the writer.

When asked about the decision to reverse the Riddler’s discovery of Batman’s identity in the "Hush" storyarc, Dini admitted that this was his call. He had desired to try a new approach to the seemingly reformed Edward Nigma by turning him into a freelance P.I. In Dini’s mind, he wanted "an evil, jealous detective rival, an Inspector LeStrade to Batman’s Sherlock Holmes" and was uncertain how this dynamic would work with Riddler knowing the Batman’s true face. DiDio wholeheartedly approved the reversal. "Batman’s i.d. should be one of the most closely guarded secrets in the DCU."

In terms of what we can expect from future issues, Dini said that a second appearance by Zatanna is on the horizon, one which would analyze her relationship with Batman in more detail. This may likely be two parts, rather than standalone. Dick Grayson may also make an appearance, drawing from future developments in 52 where current Robin Tim Drake looks to his "big brother" for advice. Dini also commented briefly on his upcoming Black Canary/Zatanna graphic novel with Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, but few details were given on what brings the characters together (other than a shared fashion sense).

Dini stated that it’s been wonderful working with diverse artists like J.H. Williams III and Joe Benitez, though he does not change his approach dramatically for different illustrators. He loved the design work Williams contributed for the new character Façade and the playful, sexy feel to Benitez’s Poison Ivy story. DiDio said that Don Kramer is for all intents and purposes the regular penciller on Detective, but only so far as his style fits the given story.

Overall, the conference was an enlightening experience for those involved, with only a few technical difficulties with a recorded answering service and unexpected playback of the conversation (It was suggested that Ray "The Atom" Palmer be sent into the phone lines to fix the problem). Fans of the Caped Crusader can rest assured that his future is in good hands.