@@@What the #$%! is AICN COMICS Q&@?@@@
@’s by David FinchWriter/artist of BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT!
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here with another set of questions with uber-talented David Finch, who has been doing the art chores on Grant Morrison’s BATMAN for the last year or so. Now Finch is flexing his writing muscles as well as providing the art for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, a new series from DC that just hit the comic racks. Here’s what Mr. Finch had to say…AMBUSH BUG (BUG): So what's the basic premise of your new book BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, and which Batman is going to be starring in it?
DAVID FINCH (DF): BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT stars Bruce Wayne as Batman, and he's on the hunt for a society girl that he's known on and off since childhood. She's disappeared, and it's very quickly become apparent that she's in deep trouble. His search leads him down some very dark paths. It's got Batman's standard cast of characters, some classic villains like Croc and Penguin, and Etrigan the Demon.
BUG: What was it like jumping from doing the art chores on BATMAN to writing BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT? Do you prefer one over the other?DF: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is the BATMAN book that I set out to do when I started down this road, and it's the book I've wanted to do for years, so it's where my heart is. “The Return” was a nice opportunity to be a part of a Morrison story, and get a first hand feel for the craziness that he can put on the page.
BUG: What's the first arc going to be about on THE DARK KNIGHT?
DF: The first arc starts as a standard detective story, but it takes a turn for the supernatural as things go along. Batman teams with Etrigan the Demon to stop a possessed Ragman from bringing a demon horde down on Gotham City. Dawn Golden is crucial to the demon's plans, and Batman has to find her before Ragman can. And he has to contend with the Penguin, who has his own stake in seeing Dawn suffer.
BUG: How does this book distinguish itself from the other Bat-books on the shelves?
DF: I think the supernatural elements definitely will give it a different flavor. Also, it's the only book starring Bruce Wayne as Batman in Gotham City fighting crime.
BUG: Bats has arguably the best stable of baddies in comics. Who's your favorite Bat-villain and why?
DF: Right now my favorite villian is Penguin. He's a tragic character, I think. All that he wants is to be accepted by Gotham's elite, but that's something that he'll never achieve. He's short, fat, sweaty and disfigured, and he can never overcome that. Instead of accepting himself for what he is, he lives in denial, pretending to be something he isn't, and when he's confronted with the truth, a violent sociopath comes out. He lashes out. I really connect with the alienation that he feels.BUG: Will we be seeing this character in your series?
DF: Yes!
BUG: What aspect of Batman is your favorite?
DF: Batman's costume is so classic! I love drawing it.
BUG: Least favorite?
DF: Deadlines!
BUG: How long do you see yourself on this book?
DF: I'd like to be on BATMAN for a long time. I'm having a huge amount of fun, and I don't want to stop.
BUG: Which do you like better now that you have a few issues under your belt, writing or drawing?
DF: I'm an artist first, but I really do love writing. I think that my biggest reservation with writing is just how difficult it is for me right now. I don't feel like I have a clear path to improvement, and that's frustrating. I am finding that putting the puzzle together and creating story is getting easier, actually. That was incredibly daunting logistically when I first started, but balancing the action and story flow with strong character moments is still pretty difficult. I'm learning all the time, but it’s exhausting. I'm lucky that I have a lot of help from Mike Marts and the other Bat writers.BUG: So last chance, why should folks check out your new book BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT?
DF: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is a visually explosive book with dark undercurrents, and hopefully a few surprises along the way! It's a return to classic form for Bruce Wayne, even as he's travelling the globe in Grant's book.
BUG: Thanks, Mr. Finch, for taking the time to answer these questions. Look for BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT in stores now from DC Comics!
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/reviewer/co-editor of AICN Comics for over nine years. Support a Bug by checking out his comics (click on the titles for purchasing info)!
MUSCLES & FIGHTS VOL.3 & MUSCLES & FRIGHTS VOL.1.
VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS: THE TINGLER #1 and #2 (interview, interview, preview, & review).
VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS #20 WITCHFINDER GENERAL (preview, review).
NANNY & HANK miniseries #1, #2, #3, and #4(interview, interview, interview, preview, & review, NANNY & HANK Facebook Page!).
Zenescope’s upcoming WONDERLAND ANNUAL 2010.
THE DEATHSPORT GAMES miniseries #1, #2, #3, and #4 (In stores in November 2010! THE DEATHSPORT GAMES Facebook Page!).
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
