Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato recently sat down with Newsarama to talk about their upcoming run on Detective Comics which is set to start in February 2014. They also talk about their run on Flash, what they would like to bring to Detective Comics, and how they relate to Batman among other things.
Newsarama: Brian and Francis, was the main draw of this project the character of Batman?
Francis Manapul: Yeah, it was one of those things where, when me and Brian decided we were going to leave the Flash, we put it out there, to our editors, what we wanted. And we got what we asked for.
Newsarama: So what you wanted was Batman?
Brian Buccellato: Absolutely.
Francis Manapul: What we were doing with the Flash was something special. And it was something that, you know, people were starting to grow accustomed to seeing from us. So we felt like we wanted to shake things up a bit for us creatively, and going over to Gotham was something that felt very different than anything they had seen from us before. So while it may not have felt to fans like the logical choice, for us, it felt like the best choice for us creatively, to continue growing and doing things that would keep us interested.
Brian Buccellato: I think we had been underdogs before; we'd been doubted. It's easier to see what somebody has already done, and then assume that they're not a fit for something else. And I think it's a creative challenge that both of us totally embrace. For those out there that know Francis and I, they know that there's more than one side to us. We're not all bright reds and yellows and happy faces. There is definitely a grittier side to us, creatively.
Newsarama: So as you sit down and you guys imagine what you want to do with Batman, what are your goals? What do you want to bring to the world of Batman in Detective Comics?
Brian Buccellato: You know, it sounds silly, but we mainly want to bring ourselves to it. Part of being creative is being passionate and bringing yourself to the table. So it's tough to talk in specifics, because Francis and I are going to bring our personal experiences and the things that are important to us to Gotham, the same way we did with Flash, and being overwhelmed, and moving forward. I think we're just going to apply who we are today to Gotham.
Francis Manapul: I think, with the Flash, in the same way that everything was — pardon the pun — but it felt like everything was coming at us very quickly, from the deadline to the change to of the entire universe. We were having to build a new world around Barry, at a very quick pace. With Batman, we have a bit more time to be methodical as we plan what we're doing. In some ways, we have opportunities to do things we weren't able to do with the Flash. We were eager to tell detective type stories with Barry, but as the story moved forward, the course it took had to lean more toward the Flash being a superhero. But I think with Batman, we have the opportunity to tap into those types of detective stories that we were wanting to get into. Batman is the world's greatest detective, and I think Batman has to be about mystery and intrigue and the hard-boiled detective type of story.
Brian Buccellato: Yeah, I think we kept on moving with the Flash, and we had to make all the best decisions we could in order to keep the story flowing, and to sort of pay off all the things we set up. I think we did a pretty good job of paying off the things we set up. In hindsight, you always wish you had more room to breathe — you always wish you could have paid a little more attention to something, or not left Iris in the Speed Force for so long, stuff like that. But I think there's been a huge momentum with Flash, and I think maybe now, with Detective, we have a chance to slow it down and do more of a slow burn story.
The full interview can be found at Newsarama. Manapul and Buccellato's run on Detective Comics will begins in February 2014.
Posted by Dane Haji