Scott Snyder has been dropping more and more details about his highly anticipated Absolute Batman film in recent weeks, collaborating with Nick Dragotta, and today he took to Reddit to answer a fan question — and it was an intriguing one, as it hinted at a number of details and shed more light on the somewhat mysterious project.
In terms of the bigger picture, Snyder revealed that he initially intended to be a consultant and not write The Batman, but after advice from James Tynion IV, he decided to get involved as long as Dragotta was willing to pitch in. As the project came together, he added that Snyder and Josh Williamson came up with the basic story, but that Snyder is giving free rein to the creators rather than writing the screenplay.
“You give the creators a basic starting point (the characters have to be exciting and new and something they’re passionate about, but stay true to their core without destroying their DNA so the whole world feels consistent), and then you let them make their magic. So I read character proposals, and it felt like creators were bouncing ideas off each other and helping each other out.”
The project worked both ways, with Snyder saying, “Jason signed on first, and he and I spoke weekly for months. He helped me with the bat, I was on the SM soundboard, and then Kelly came on board… we all built it together.”
In one of the most revealing answers, Snyder said: “I don’t want to give too much away, but one of the core concepts of the series is that in this world, Bruce becomes a small disruption in the system, and the villains get more powerful and have more resources, but their villains have new and special roles to fill.”
Could this mean that villains will team up with Batman against the Regime? He also revealed that the Riddler will appear early in the series, “although maybe not in the way that you’d expect.” Snyder also confirmed that Catwoman will appear early on, and that Dick Grayson will also exist in the world.
Snyder also detailed how Absolute Batman is similar to and different from the main universe’s Batman, writing, “They’re both idealistic, they don’t kill, and they both dedicate every cell of their body to their mission. They both channel trauma into determination to make the world a better place (and I think that’s where Batman’s core is).”
He adds, “But the Mainline Bruce is a character who was born with a lot of resources. He’s able to outwit the bad guys and the police, and it’s a compelling power fantasy that he’s greater than the system. In Absolute, this Bruce is on Park Row. Martha works in the mayor’s office and Thomas is a teacher. He has no resources other than his intellect and determination. So they’re similar and yet very different.”
Hold on… are Batman’s parents still alive? Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but it certainly sounds like it!
Snyder also said that he plans to continue Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman for the long term, as long as sales remain strong. If you’re wondering about a crossover, Snyder said it will be at least a year before we see one. “The goal is to bring you two very different things, Main U and Absolute U. In Main U, everyone is connected right now and working together (via JL Unlimited). There’s a sense of unity there. In Absolute U, everyone is isolated and learning to stand up for themselves.”
For Green Lantern fans, Snyder spoke about Al Ewing’s take: “Al’s going to do an incredible reinvention of the mythology. New ideas of light and dark, and still stay true to the core idea of Green Lantern. And everyone’s in it…”
Snyder also revealed that he had been planning a Detective Chimp series for some time.
Be sure to check out our SDCC coverage for more on Absolute Batman, and check out all the covers here
