try. Like I said, I’m too confused, and every dollar counts right now. I can’t take chances.
FM. Which are the ones of DC’s New 52 that you’re reading?
SN. I’m enjoying Batman. I still don’t think the reboot was necessary, because basically all they’re doing is—yes, this is a good Batman book. This is what Batman should be.
FM. You know what I think the reboot did, though? I was never a DC person, and the reboot encouraged me to get on board. I was like, oh god— DETECTIVE COMICS is on issue eight hundred something. Why am I going to pick up a random issue when I have no idea what is going on?
SN. Well, the hype almost screwed [Scott Snyder’s Batman] for me, to be honest, because I thought I was going to be reading the new KILLING JOKE. And I picked it up, and I love Capulo’s art, and the story is good. And that’s what it should be. But I had these expectations of unbelievable greatness. I guess that’s just a marketing error. I also think Gail Simone is fun to read, and she does wonderful characters. The one I need to read is ANIMAL MAN.
FM. You haven’t been reading ANIMAL MAN? Animal Man is like, the reason for the reboot as far as I’m concerned. It’s the only excuse they need! It’s a horror comic. In fact, I’d say that seventy-five percent of the New 52 titles are skewing dark like that.
SN. Well then, I gotta read it!
FM. That one and AQUAMAN, but then I’ve always loved Aquaman, so to see him get treated with respect kind of makes me happy.
SN. Paul Norris, the creator of Aquaman, always said that all Aquaman was supposed to be was Flash Gordon underwater. So, is it? Is it like sci-fi underwater?
FM. Well, he’s dealing with underwater creatures, if that’s what you mean.
SN. As long as he’s not like, riding the city bus. I’m so tired of that. “Superheroes need to be more like normal people.” NO! They’re superheroes! I mean, my experience… I grew up being such a Marvel nerd. All I wanted to do was write the Hulk. I just love the monster characters… all the Marvel monsters. It just didn’t happen. Honestly, I just refused to play the games that they want you to play.
What’s happened is that I’ve been forced to go at it alone. Now I’ve created dozens of properties. I’ve got my own little branding world. It’s not an empire, and I’m sure not raking in the bucks right now, but I’ve got my own thing going. So it’s always been like that. I think they see me as not really a company guy. And that’s a pretty astute observation. [laughs]
FM. I was going to say… they might actually be right on that front. [laughs]
SN. Exactly! So there’s a weird balance of things. I do have some stuff coming out with DC Digital. I was talking to some creators today, and how when I did the two Batman series nobody really messed with me, which is probably why those series are so freaking crazy. Nobody messed with GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT.
FM. What about THE CREEPER?
SN. Well, THE CREEPER I had some input on, and that series just… the artist was late, so we had to shift to another artist, and then we were coming back, and then there were editorial changes… The series was just not what I wanted it to be.
FM. Well, if it’s any consolation, that may have been the first comic I picked up since I was eleven that had a superhero in it. [laughs]
SN. What’s funny is that when I got that, I was like… I’m going to do a superhero book! And I wrote the Creeper pretty straight. An updated version, but straight. And the feedback I got almost immediately was “Where are the monsters?”
FM. That’s people putting you in a box.
SN. Eh, I don’t mind. If people think of me as the monster guy, then I’m the monster guy. I’m lucky people think of me at all.
12
THE GRAVEYARD EXAMINER
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