It was announced last week that Gregg Hurwitz will be joining David Finch on Batman: The Dark Knight. Beginning with issue nine, Hurwitz be writing the series. Newsarama talked with Hurwitz about what is coming to the series.
Newsarama: Gregg, for readers who are familiar with this comic already, what is it you're hoping to bring to The Dark Knight? Will it have a new direction now that you're coming on board?
Gregg Hurwitz: You're going to see a lot of stuff that's different in tone. We're taking a bit of a new direction. It's going to be really brooding, dark story that's also, I hope, a lot of fun. We're going to be digging into some characters stuff, but it's not just going to be focused on characters. It's also going to be very, very heavy and epic in the plotting, and in the scope of what's going to unfurl over Gotham.
Newsarama: You got to really define Penguin for the relaunched universe. Are you getting to really define Scarecrow the same way?
Gregg Hurwitz: Yeah. I'm really going in and digging into the things that make him tick. I really want to show his background and what turned him into who he is, and try to present him as a very three-dimensional character. I mean, I think one of the differences is, of course, this isn't a Scarecrow mini-series. This is The Dark Knight. And so there's going to be equal focus on Batman, on Bruce — equal to more. In the Penguin mini-series, that was probably 70 percent Oswald and 30 percent Batman. But this is a much more of a two-fister. We're going to spend a lot of time digging in and seeing things from Batman's point of view and his perspective. But that said, it is going to be a very similar approach that I took to the Penguin, in terms of trying to present something that's wholly new, that readers will not have seen before.
Newsarama: This title feels like it functions a little separate from the rest of the Batman books. Is there any plan to bring it back into the fold a bit? Or are you guys still wanting to operate on your own to give Dave the elbow room?
Gregg Hurwitz: I think it's two-fold. It is a continuity book. It takes place within the DCU. We're mindful of everything that is happening with the other books. It's tied in in that way. Operating within that, it's a priority for us to present a story that can also stand on its own two feet. So it's not like a tie-in book where you're going to have to buy eight other books to understand the story. We want to present a free-standing epic. But at the same time, I'm aware of and talking to [Batman writer] Scott [Snyder] about what he's doing. I'm aware and talking to [Batman group editor] Mike Marts, of all the things and what's happening with the other characters and where they're located, so that The Dark Knight stays relevant to everything that's going on elsewhere in the DCU. And it is in continuity in a way that the Penguin wasn't. So there is a different set of challenges and opportunities that we can take advantage of.
For the entire interview, including talk about collaborating with David Finch, head over to Newsarama. Hurwitz's first issue will hit stores in May with Batman: The Dark Knight #9.
Posted by Dustin Fritschel
