Editor Promises 'A Batman for Every Fan'

Editor Mark Doyle famously whipped DC’s edgier label Vertigo into shape over the years. So effective was his work that DC has moved him into their mainstream line, becoming the man in charge for Batman. After the anniversary he took Batgirl and Catwoman in new directions and helped shape Batman Eternal, which is one of the publisher’s most popular books. He recently sat down to talk about his vision of the Caped Crusader going forward.

"In the beginning, I wasn’t thinking about the scope of things like Batman’s 75 Anniversary, or taking the chair that’s been held by some of the greatest editors in comics’ history. In the beginning, it was just [DC Comics Co-Publisher] Dan DiDio asking me if I wanted the gig, and me saying, “Yes!” before he could even finish his question!Because that’s a rule in comics. You never say no to Batman.But shortly after I settled in, the scope of it all really started to hit me. The anniversary had a big impact on me. Got me excited. Got me thinking. This character has been around for 75 years. Why? And what can we do to make sure he’s around for 75 more?"

When asked what his goal was in shaping Batman’s future:

"A Batman book for every fan, for every genre.That’s it. That’s my mantra. As I said before, the anniversary weighed heavily on my mind. When I asked myself why the character has been so popular for so long, I settled on this idea that it wasn’t one thing, it was all things. Superhero stories and sci-fi stories and dark stories and campy stories — you can do all of them with Batman. Different fans love different aspects of the character, and different characters in the mythology. So when I looked at the whole line, I thought, “I want to have at least one book in this line for everybody.”Make comics for everybody. That’s it. That’s the goal. Maybe it’s a lofty goal, but you have to aim high."

You can read the whole interview right here.

Editor Promises ‘A Batman for Every Fan’

By Skip Harvey | Dec 19, 2014