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With the New 52, Scott Snyder was handed a damn near impossible task: reboot the Batman. Again. But instead of doing a regular #1 with the tried and true origin story, he made the city of Gotham itself the antagonist. The very thing Bruce Wayne always defended was betraying him in a wholly new way. He was able to create an original tale somewhere after the events of Year One, and well before modern day Bats, all without breaking continuity while actively building on (and forever changing) accepted Bat canon. With that, The Court of Owls, one of the most beloved modern classics of Bat mythology, was born.

That was back in 2011, Snyder has since written a world of incredible Bat-Books. As well as Swamp Thing, American Vampire, Superman, and more. He’s won Eisner’s, Harvey Awards, and Stan Lee Award’s for his work. His Bat-Bibliography alone is staggering in addition to the New 52 run on Batman, he’s written arcs on Detective Comics and All Star: Batman. Plus his own Gates of Gotham, Batman Eternal, Batman and The Signal, Batman/The Shadow, Dark Knight’s: Metal and others.

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Now he’s back with two very different, very bold takes on the World’s Greatest Detective. The Batman Who Laughs; a character study on a Batman who absolutely, no matter the cost, must win. And Batman: Last Knight on Earth; a long gestating reunion between Snyder and his Court of Owls collaborator and artist Greg Cappulo, that tells the end of his Bat-Run.

I sat down with Scott Snyder at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 to discuss his own Dark Knight Returns, and what he loves about The Batman. Check out the interview in the player above, and below is a list of topics that were discussed.

Batman Who Laughs and Batman: Last Knight on Earth will be available on Aug 31st.

  • The Shorthand between himself and Greg Cappullo
  • Grant Morrison's advice that led to Last Knight on Earth
  • The importance of Dad Alfred
  • How Batman Who Laughs represents the world he fears for his kids.
  • The geopolitical and sociopolitical influences and impact within the Batman Who Laughs
  • What makes Batman so unique that he’s able to cross all of these perceived comic barriers
  • What makes Batman so flexible as a character
  • Each arc being the only arc you ever get to write.
  • The real life inspiration for Court of Owls