MattBrady
11-25-2002, 07:24 AM
<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/general/CSNLogo.jpg" width="175" height="139" hspace="2" border="0" align="right">from CSN #804
Batman has been cast as an avatar of unrelenting justice and ethical retribution for so long that it’s hard to picture him as something else... a figure of forgiveness, for instance.
So what led J.M. deMatteis to even attempt something so radical?
In Batman: Absolution, a hardcover graphic novel by deMatteis and Brian Ashmore, the Dark Knight tracks down a one-time terrorist... but his quest forces him to consider the possibility that someone once devoted to violence and mayhem might have changed.
In light of the events of September 11th, 2001, the word “terrorist” evokes very strong responses. Did our post-9/11 attitudes influence the development of Batman: Absolution? “The story was actually conceived about ten years ago. I pitched it to Denny O’Neil and Scott Peterson, they liked it,” deMatteis told CSN. “We agreed to do it...and then, for reasons that had nothing to do with Denny, Scott or DC, I decided to shelve it. When I returned to DC in l999—after a number of years being exclusive to Marvel—I found the old outline and thought maybe now was the time to do it. Denny agreed—and we were off.
“The script was actually finished before September 11th—not long before, if I recall correctly... But the story—and its themes—certainly became more timely, more urgent, as a result of that event...and so much that’s happened since then.”
The story, which begins in Gotham but ultimately takes Batman to India in pursuit of his quarry, sounds like it could almost be a spirit-quest tale, but deMatteis said that’s not what he’s going for. “Although there is a spiritual dimension to the story—quite a bit of it takes place in India, after all—the story is really about the limits of compassion. Of forgiveness. Not just forgiving others for the wrongs they’ve done us...but forgiving ourselves for our own mistakes.
“The absolution the characters are seeking can be found in God, yes; that’s the Source it emanates from. But I think, really, we’re all seeking it in ourselves and in our fellow humans... And isn’t that where God resides?”
Batman is perfectly suited for urban action and melodrama; is it more difficult to make the character work as well against an international backdrop and exotic locales? “Well, there are urban settings in Absolution,” deMatteis said. “We’re in Gotham, we’re in London... and in the streets of New Delhi. But I have to say I loved the idea of Batman at the Taj Mahal. Batman crouched atop a train riding through the Indian countryside.... Batman on a mountain, fighting for his life outside an ancient tomb. He’s primal, he’s mythic, and he works extremely well in this context.
“The great thing about the Batman character is that he’s so adaptable. He works in so many different ways. In so many types of stories. And there are really so many facets of Batman to be explored. He can be a classic, colorful superhero. A noirish detective. A cynic. A true believer. A pulpish adventurer. Fighting aliens with the Justice League one minute...in the middle of a gangland war the next.
“I think that sometimes people get too focused on one aspect of Batman...when there are so many. One of the things I so enjoyed in my recent Legends of the Dark Knight arc, ‘Grimm’ was creating a Batman story that had elements of earlier, more lighthearted times. Batman can have all his trauma and angst...and still find time to laugh a little and enjoy himself.”
With Absolution, however, deMatteis moves far away from those earlier, more lighthearted times. “This story, for the record, is very much rooted in the alleged Real World. No other costumed characters to be found—unless you consider saris costumes,” he quipped. “And Batman is fairly dark.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/bm_absolu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/bm_absolu_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" hspace="2" border="0" align="left"></a>Terrorism in a larger scope is something that Batman rather deals with; he’s accustomed to confronted sociopaths who operate on a one-to-one scale. Was it difficult to balance the horrors of terrorism, the adventure of superheroics, and the complexities of redemption in the same story? “No, it wasn’t difficult at all. Because, whatever the political implications, Absolution is first and foremost a human story. As long as you’re focusing on the characters, on what makes them do what they do, the rest of the story will take care of itself, I think. I didn’t once think that I was doing anything remotely political when I was writing this. Politics, in the end, is the result of actions by human beings. And that’s what I’m interested in.”
So what’s the answer? Can Batman accept the idea of absolution and forgiveness? “That’s the central question we explore,” deMatteis said. “If I tell you, you won’t have to read the book!”
Absolution is distinctive in a visual way, also: it’s a hardcover graphic novel with fully painted art by a comics newcomer, Brian Ashmore. DeMatteis gives all the credit for this artistic discovery Bat-meister and former Batman editor Denny O’Neil. “I didn’t know anything about him ‘til Denny told me he was doing the art. And when I finally saw the finished painted pages I was quite happy with the work. Very impressive...and worthy of the format.”
Batman: Absolution, a hardcover graphic novel, is scheduled for a November 27th release.
Batman has been cast as an avatar of unrelenting justice and ethical retribution for so long that it’s hard to picture him as something else... a figure of forgiveness, for instance.
So what led J.M. deMatteis to even attempt something so radical?
In Batman: Absolution, a hardcover graphic novel by deMatteis and Brian Ashmore, the Dark Knight tracks down a one-time terrorist... but his quest forces him to consider the possibility that someone once devoted to violence and mayhem might have changed.
In light of the events of September 11th, 2001, the word “terrorist” evokes very strong responses. Did our post-9/11 attitudes influence the development of Batman: Absolution? “The story was actually conceived about ten years ago. I pitched it to Denny O’Neil and Scott Peterson, they liked it,” deMatteis told CSN. “We agreed to do it...and then, for reasons that had nothing to do with Denny, Scott or DC, I decided to shelve it. When I returned to DC in l999—after a number of years being exclusive to Marvel—I found the old outline and thought maybe now was the time to do it. Denny agreed—and we were off.
“The script was actually finished before September 11th—not long before, if I recall correctly... But the story—and its themes—certainly became more timely, more urgent, as a result of that event...and so much that’s happened since then.”
The story, which begins in Gotham but ultimately takes Batman to India in pursuit of his quarry, sounds like it could almost be a spirit-quest tale, but deMatteis said that’s not what he’s going for. “Although there is a spiritual dimension to the story—quite a bit of it takes place in India, after all—the story is really about the limits of compassion. Of forgiveness. Not just forgiving others for the wrongs they’ve done us...but forgiving ourselves for our own mistakes.
“The absolution the characters are seeking can be found in God, yes; that’s the Source it emanates from. But I think, really, we’re all seeking it in ourselves and in our fellow humans... And isn’t that where God resides?”
Batman is perfectly suited for urban action and melodrama; is it more difficult to make the character work as well against an international backdrop and exotic locales? “Well, there are urban settings in Absolution,” deMatteis said. “We’re in Gotham, we’re in London... and in the streets of New Delhi. But I have to say I loved the idea of Batman at the Taj Mahal. Batman crouched atop a train riding through the Indian countryside.... Batman on a mountain, fighting for his life outside an ancient tomb. He’s primal, he’s mythic, and he works extremely well in this context.
“The great thing about the Batman character is that he’s so adaptable. He works in so many different ways. In so many types of stories. And there are really so many facets of Batman to be explored. He can be a classic, colorful superhero. A noirish detective. A cynic. A true believer. A pulpish adventurer. Fighting aliens with the Justice League one minute...in the middle of a gangland war the next.
“I think that sometimes people get too focused on one aspect of Batman...when there are so many. One of the things I so enjoyed in my recent Legends of the Dark Knight arc, ‘Grimm’ was creating a Batman story that had elements of earlier, more lighthearted times. Batman can have all his trauma and angst...and still find time to laugh a little and enjoy himself.”
With Absolution, however, deMatteis moves far away from those earlier, more lighthearted times. “This story, for the record, is very much rooted in the alleged Real World. No other costumed characters to be found—unless you consider saris costumes,” he quipped. “And Batman is fairly dark.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/bm_absolu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/DC/bm_absolu_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" hspace="2" border="0" align="left"></a>Terrorism in a larger scope is something that Batman rather deals with; he’s accustomed to confronted sociopaths who operate on a one-to-one scale. Was it difficult to balance the horrors of terrorism, the adventure of superheroics, and the complexities of redemption in the same story? “No, it wasn’t difficult at all. Because, whatever the political implications, Absolution is first and foremost a human story. As long as you’re focusing on the characters, on what makes them do what they do, the rest of the story will take care of itself, I think. I didn’t once think that I was doing anything remotely political when I was writing this. Politics, in the end, is the result of actions by human beings. And that’s what I’m interested in.”
So what’s the answer? Can Batman accept the idea of absolution and forgiveness? “That’s the central question we explore,” deMatteis said. “If I tell you, you won’t have to read the book!”
Absolution is distinctive in a visual way, also: it’s a hardcover graphic novel with fully painted art by a comics newcomer, Brian Ashmore. DeMatteis gives all the credit for this artistic discovery Bat-meister and former Batman editor Denny O’Neil. “I didn’t know anything about him ‘til Denny told me he was doing the art. And when I finally saw the finished painted pages I was quite happy with the work. Very impressive...and worthy of the format.”
Batman: Absolution, a hardcover graphic novel, is scheduled for a November 27th release.