TALKING BATMAN WITH TONY DANIEL

**MattBrady** · 07-26-2007, 09:26 AM

by Vaneta Rogers

A few months ago, fans were under the impression that Tony Daniel would be drawing Flash: The Fastest Man Alive right now.

Well, that’s not happening.

Instead, as DC’s October solicitations revealed, Daniel will be the regular artist on Batman as the title begins “The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul” storyline, written by Grant Morrison. The artist will begin with the story’s prelude in issue #670. Ra’s Al Ghul’s return comes after the Batman villain has been dead for three years, killed by his daughter – seemingly for good. But of course, these are comics, and dead doesn’t always mean dead.

As the artist begins working on the villain’s return, Newsarama talked to Daniel about his gig on
Batman and how he approaches drawing the Dark Knight.

Newsarama: So this is what comes after drawing that important issue of The Flash, huh? How did you find out you were getting Batman? Were you surprised?

Tony Daniel: It wasn’t really a surprise to me. Drawing Flash was the surprise. I had spoken to Dan DiDio back in January about moving on from Teen Titans and he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him Batman would be my first choice. But I didn’t care whether it was Batman or Detective. A few weeks later I was offered the chance to finish the Flash arc with Marc Guggenheim. Dan told me that after I was done, Batman was next.

NRAMA: When we talked to you about the Teen Titans work you were doing, you said Teen Titans was your dream book. Does
Batman with Grant Morrison come close or did you not even dare to dream that big?

TD: Well dreams change, especially when your first one comes true. I’ve always wanted to do Batman and now I’ve gotten to a point in my skill level where I think I can handle the character and do him justice. I wanted to be at a certain level of craftsmanship before I tackled him though. But truth be told, I believe that I’m built for Batman. I think what I do best will shine in this book.

And working with such a writer as Grant Morrison is definitely something that will affect what I bring to the table. My first order of business is to make sure he’s happy with how I’m portraying his stories.

NRAMA: When we spoke with you about The Flash in June, you said all you'd done on Batman was a cover. Are you further into the story now?

TD: I’m six or seven pages in right now. Plus two more covers, I started about a week and a half ago on issue #670.

NRAMA: How's it been working with Morrison so far?

TD: It’s still very new and we haven’t communicated yet. But by the time this interview hits, we may have had that chance. I wanted to show him the first group of pages before we talked so he has something to look at if he has any direction or ideas about what I can do. But I’m extremely excited about working off of his script at the moment.

NRAMA: How do you approach a book like Batman as compared to Teen Titans and Flash?

TD: Well first off, it’s not a team book, so the layouts are much more flexible for me. I feel you can’t get too creative working on a team book because you have to worry so much about all the characters. And remember, you might have multiple characters talking in any given panel. So the storytelling has to be really straight-forward. With Batman I can devote more attention to details as well as having a little more fun with the panel layouts and storytelling. It’s great to be able to spread my wings in that department because I always felt that was one of my strong-suits.

NRAMA: How would you describe your Batman? Have you heard from Morrison about the approach, or is this going to be all yours, as far as how Batman looks?

TD: I did speak to editor, Mike Marts, and we were both on agreement with how to make him look. For me, I wanted to bring a little old school Neal Adams and Jim Aparo flavor into the mix, but updated into my style. I enjoy those guys interpretations the most, as well as what Jim Lee is doing too. But I want to have a look that distinguishable from anyone else’s take, so when you look back ten, twenty years from now, there’s no question who drew it.

NRAMA: What can you tell us about the story you're drawing?

TD: Ra’s al Ghul, League of Assassins, Talia, Sensei, I-Ching. Throw in Batman with a sword in Hong Kong… sound cool?

NRAMA: It’s a start! How are you approaching Ra's Al Ghul's character and others like Talia and I-Ching?

TD: Certain characters shouldn’t be messed with too much. I’m just adding my own spin on each of these characters, but they’ll be unmistakable at the same time, who they are.

NRAMA: They're calling this a "Batman event" – and you're just off the big Flash event. Are you the go-to guy for events now?

TD: I think it just worked out schedule-wise with me and the Flash. And it also just appeared to be the most logical time for me to start my run on Batman. But I find it a great honor to be involved with these opportunities.

NRAMA: How long are you on Batman?

TD: Until I’m dead. But that’s no guarantee either. There’s always the Lazarus Pit.

SexyAsian · 07-26-2007, 10:19 AM

I am so happy for Tony Daniel getting Batman! He's one of those gems of great artists that can handle deadlines without sacrificing the quality of the content!

caats19 · 07-26-2007, 10:20 AM

quite cool. with a proper inker, daniel makes some sweet art

creatorman · 07-26-2007, 10:20 AM

Excellent news! Tony Daniel is a top tier artist.

Tuck! · 07-26-2007, 10:20 AM

Cool! I get to buy Batman (and a Grant Morrison comics) again!

<sage> · 07-26-2007, 10:22 AM

I'm not sure if Daniel is the right fit for the book, however that cover sort of has a Tim Sale feel to it, so I'll remain cautiously optimistic for now. I wonder what Andy Kubert will be moving on to next?

Sluggo · 07-26-2007, 10:24 AM

Wow, so Andy Kubert did 7 whole issues of Batman with Grant Morrison. Impressive.

Good for Tony Daniel. I'm not a huge fan of his work, but it seems like he's been stepping up his game recently and he seems to bring a lot of enthusiasm to this project. Best of luck.

stvnhthr · 07-26-2007, 10:25 AM

Best news this week. I've really enjoyed watching Tony Daniel grow as an artist. I got to know him a bit back in his Image days on the Tenth. A great artist who can handle deadlines, he deserves his time on Batman.

diana_fan · 07-26-2007, 10:25 AM

That cover looks really good. I think this could end up being a pretty special collaboration, as Daniel seems very excited to be working on the book and character. And the story is going to rock, as well.

I've always liked Tony Daniel's work, and this should be really interesting.

Crump's Brother · 07-26-2007, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Daniel

For me, I wanted to bring a little old school Neal Adams and Jim Aparo flavor into the mix...

Right on. This sounds like fun.

Ace · 07-26-2007, 10:29 AM

Thing I like the most about Daniel is the fact that he always seems to be working on improving himself. You also have to respect that he wants to get such input from the writer. When you're working with someone like Morrison, that makes a lot of sense.

montessaurus · 07-26-2007, 10:32 AM

Tony Daniel drawing Batman?
SWEET.
It's great when you read an interview where the penciller seems super enthused about the project. I remember how pumped up the interview Ethan Van Sciver did for Sinestro Corps
made me, and that ended up being a pretty well-fit book.
I think I just accidentally channeled Ali-G. Anyway...

http://tonydaniel.blogspot.com/
(upcoming Batman cover, looks rad.)

durkadurka · 07-26-2007, 10:35 AM

Preview art looks cool. Kudos on landing Batman under Grant Morrison.

SpaceButler · 07-26-2007, 10:39 AM

I'm down, I like this book a lot when it comes out, lets hope this speeds up the publication schedule. Oh, and Daniel is indeed a very good artist. Should be fun.

Ravager · 07-26-2007, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montessaurus

http://tonydaniel.blogspot.com/
(upcoming Batman cover, looks rad.)

The cover on this link has batman in the costume from the countdown teaser image!

Fish on This · 07-26-2007, 10:46 AM

Go back and read The Tenth. Now that was a good book...

shady878 · 07-26-2007, 10:48 AM

TD is the awesomeness. too bad his run on flash was short but Batman is even better!

Mike Thompson · 07-26-2007, 10:53 AM

Now if only they'd get a new writer on Batman, everything would be great. Morrison is vastly overrated, and his take on Batman has been god awful.

Glad Kubert is gone. Tired of the distorted poses he puts his characters in, as well as the odd angles he uses that forces the reader to look up people's noses. Does he have a nose fetish or something? Seriously.

I also wish DC would get someone besides Don Kramer on Detective. He is a workhorse and incredibly consistent, but man, his art is beyond bland, esp. for a flagship title. DC's slipping sales would suggest something be done fast to jump start their main line.

OK, let the verbal assaults begin. I'm ready.

Snikkas · 07-26-2007, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sluggo

Wow, so Andy Kubert did 7 whole issues of Batman with Grant Morrison. Impressive..

Is that More or Less than his brother did with Superman?

hlbimage · 07-26-2007, 10:56 AM

Congrat Tony...it's been a loooong road.

goddamnbats · 07-26-2007, 10:56 AM

Wow this book might actually come out on time!!!!!

All joking aside though this is pretty awesome. Even though I didn't pick up Titans or the Guggenheim run on Flash I will say that his covers look pretty cool.

Adm_Snackbar · 07-26-2007, 10:56 AM

When he started on Teen Titans, I thought his work was just ok. But if you go back and re-read them, you can definitely see improvement from issue to issue. This guy's art just seems to get better all the time, so I can't wait to see what he gives us on Batman!

SpaceButler · 07-26-2007, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Thompson

Now if only they'd get a new writer on Batman, everything would be great. Morrison is vastly overrated, and his take on Batman has been god awful.

Glad Kubert is gone. Tired of the distorted poses he puts his characters in, as well as the odd angles he uses that forces the reader to look up people's noses. Does he have a nose fetish or something? Seriously.

I also wish DC would get someone besides Don Kramer on Detective. He is a workhorse and incredibly consistent, but man, his art is beyond bland, esp. for a flagship title. DC's slipping sales would suggest something be done fast to jump start their main line.

OK, let the verbal assaults begin. I'm ready.

No reason to verbally assault you. I am actually enjoying Morrison's take on Batman because it's different and after so many years of doom and gloom a bit of goofiness is ok with me. We will just have to agree to disagree on that one. I am with you on Kubert though, both Kuberts have been massive disappointments on their move to DC.

vfxdammerung · 07-26-2007, 11:00 AM

Andy Kubert's "one Batman issue every three months" routine got old fast (the art wasn't that great anyway). If Tony Daniel can replicate his terrific work from Teen Titans, then I'm sold. Very true about the inker--Daniel needs a proper inker to back him up on this one.

NickVinson · 07-26-2007, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snikkas

Is that More or Less than his brother did with Superman?

It's one issue shy of being double his brothers Action output.

Well it seems that the Kubert bros were a bust. That our they are moving Andy over to major event mini-series like Marvel did and Adam is... um... teaching?

Either way I am glad for Tony Daniel. That he wants his Batman run to be reminiscent of Aparo and Adams is totally up my alley. To this day the Aparo Batman is the definitive Batman in my head.