The DC3 decided to take on the Herculean task of covering DC’s weekly books! Our coverage will rotate between creator interviews, issue reviews and annotations, and long-form pieces on featured characters. This, friends, is the DC3kly!
To start off our “Batman Eternal” coverage right, we have a chat with artist Jason Fabok, who provided the cover and pencils for issue #1, and will be one of the artists rotating on and off the book for the entire year.
As an artist, what draws you to the Dark Knight? Have you had to adjust your style to fit the character, or does it come naturally?
Jason Fabok: Artistically, I feel that The Bat universe gives you everything you’d ever want to draw in each and every issue. From dark brooding crusaders to bright and colorful sidekicks and villains, there’s a little of everything in there. I’ve always been attracted visually to art that uses lots of shadows, texture and darkness which is odd because I’m a very positive, happy sort of guy. I just feel very comfortable in the Gotham universe and drawing all it’s crazies. It’s what I’ve wanted to draw since I was a kid.
Batman is such an iconic character – how much does “Batman: Eternal” draw upon the great visual moments in Batman’s history? Is there a certain era that you looked toward for inspiration?
JF: Visually, I love to do riffs on old art and moments from Batman’s past. I feel I pull a lot of influence from the Frank Miller Batman work. When I read “The Dark Knight Returns” as a teenager, it really resonated with me from a visual standpoint. Another major influence in the way I try to visualize the Bat universe is the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale era of Batman epics. The first time I read “The Long Halloween” it really struck me how brilliant Tim Sales moody and shadow filled work really was. In the past I’ve tried to use little elements from his universe like Gordon’s office and such. I’m the kind of guy who likes to wear his influences on my sleeve, and draw from such a rich visual history.
You’ve just come off of a nearly two year run on “Detective Comics,” and have spent much of your time at DC working on Batman related titles. Are there any characters you haven’t had the chance to tackle in that time that you look forward to drawing in “Eternal?”
JF: When you boil down my career with that statement, it really opens my eyes to how blessed I’ve been to work on such a legendary character. It’s really been a dream come true. I feel that with all my Batman related work, I’ve been able to tackle most of my favorite characters and villains, but there are a few coming up that always wanted to draw, but haven’t had the chance too. I’ll be working on a big reveal cover for a classic villain this week, and I’m so excited to draw this character. Sadly, you’ll have to wait a few months to see it. I’ve also had the chance to draw some Catwoman early on which was a character I always wanted to draw, and begged John Layman to shoehorn her into some of the “Detective” stuff somewhere just so I could draw her. I got a chance with ‘Gothtopia’ but have been able to draw her in “Eternal” as well. She’s a great character to draw and allows you to play up some sassy acting from your drawings.
Fans have been waiting for Stephanie Brown to show up for a while now – how did you go about designing her re-entry into the DC continuity as ‘Spoiler’? What will you bring to her character?
JF: Issue three brings the character into the New 52 universe, and sort of plants the seeds that will eventually sprout into Spoiler. Dustin Nguyen got the chance to design her costume and I love how he played upon both the old school Spoiler outfit and the costume she wore as Batgirl. I didn’t get a chance to draw her in the outfit in her first appearance, but have drawn her since in future issues, and she is very fun to draw. I really feel that this series will give the writers a unique opportunity to really develop a deep and involved story unlike anything you’ve read in other comics. Fans of Stephanie Brown will get to see the rise of her character from teen to superhero. It’s going to be fun to read.
I know you said that Dustin Nguyen got to work on Spoiler’s costume, so did you get the opportunity to visually re-define any of the Bat-characters for this event?
JF: As a team, we’ve been tossing around ideas ,redesigning old characters, bringing back really corny villains from the past and giving them a face-lift. We’re all just really having fun running amok in the Bat-verse. I’ve had the opportunity to design a few characters and supporting cast along the way. I just completed a redesign of one of my all time favorite villains ever. But you’ll have to wait and see that down the road!
One of the first teases we had for this book was the “First Thanksgiving” image. Were you allowed to just go nuts with it, or was it a meticulously mapped out piece before you put pencil to paper? How did you decide what got to go into that, and was there anything off limits going in?
JF: When Mike Marts and Katie Kubert first presented that idea to me, I thought they were nuts. I really didn’t see the big picture with their idea for the image but they did, and they knew it would be something really cool. Katie, Mike and James Tynion sat down and sort of planned out who would go where, and what would be replaced within the image with what. I requested that. They knew the major players, the spoilers and hints for upcoming stories and I felt much more confident with them planning the image out. But it’s one thing to plan it out and another to draw it, especially with such a wild idea as that. I did that entire image digitally, and that allowed me to place the original painting on a layer, and sort of build the new image on top of that, replacing characters, adding in new ones, etc. It took me a few days to do, but when it hit the internet, I was really blown away by the response. Fans really loved the idea and were speculating so much from one image. People were counting up individual bones and skulls and were creating these theories about who was going to die. Maybe I placed an exact number of bones on the ground as a clue, but maybe it was all random. Maybe there were some misdirects. I guess fans will have to wait and see!
What’s it like working on a weekly book, where you’ll draw the first month and then catch up with drawing the story again later down the road? Is it odd to leave the story in one place and come back 10+ issues later?
JF: It really is. If this was a monthly book, I’d be in story heaven. The stories and scripts have been very strong, and I’m loving the massive cast and intertwining stories. It’s been an absolute joy to draw. But it’s been hard to come on, work three months pumping out three issues, and then realize, these all come out in one month. Fans of my work will think I’ve disappeared when they don’t see any of my work on the shelves until months later. But that’s the nature of this sort of project. But I feel that this series is going to be so strong, that it’s also going to be worth the little sacrifices. I’ve been given some really great issues down the road featuring some pivotal moments and I’m so excited to bring those scripts to life.
What is your relationship with the other artists working on the book? Do you all communicate with each other to create a specific tone for the book, or is there more of an “every man for himself” vibe to the proceedings?
JF: Most of my communication is with the writers. We have big discussions with each other on certain aspects and visual design. I really haven’t talked to any of the other artists except just in passing online when I find out one of my favorite colleagues is coming on to do a few issues.
I do feel that this is going to be such a visually exciting series in the end. Sometimes it’s hard to get into a book when there are so many artists on board, but I believe the editors have chosen such a great cast of artists who are going to bring something visually different to the book each month. I’m excited to see it all come together.
The plan for “Eternal” seems to have each individual writer telling small, individual arcs that weave into a greater whole. After doing the first three issues, will you be working primarily with a specific creator, or is the plan to rotate in as needed?
JF: In all honesty, I can’t really tell who has been writing each script I’ve been given. I know there has been a lot of collaboration between writers on specific parts of the issues, but they’ve all been great stories that flow so well. I do think that after the initial launch, you’re going to see each writer tackle specific storylines prominently but each issue touches on a whole gamut of different arcs running through, even if it’s just a one page scene.
If there’s one lasting contribution that you could make to Batman’s character or world, what would that be?
JF: That’s a tough one. I have my own little stories and plans I’d one day love to bring to a Batman series or graphic novel. Right now, I’m trying to bring my best work, and deliver the best story I can to the fans. I’ve lived this book day in and day out for the last few months and I’m hoping fans see that when they read the book. I really would love to bring the excitement that I first got when I read books like Batman:Hush or Dark Victory to a new generation of fans. I’ve dreamt of drawing Batman since I was a young boy, and to get the opportunity this early in my career has been such a joy. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and for the fan response over my work as well. I’m very excited to see this book hit the shelves and see the reaction as fans read the crazy stories these guys have come up with. Gotham will never be the same after this. We hope you’ll join in and experience this epic event with us!
Next week: Reviews and annotations of issues 1 and 2!
