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SDCC 2014: Batman: The Eternal Dark Knight Panel

Published Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:58:30 -0500

Last updated Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:49:12 -0500

Featuring Scott Snyder, Peter Tomasi, Greg Pak, Pat Gleason, Marc Andreyko and Brian Buccellato. Hey Pete Sailer here at DC's "Eternal Dark Knight Panel." DC's really going out celebrating Batman's 75th birthday and this panel is sure to impress.

John Cunningham introduces the creators and Batman group editor Mark Doyle. Cunningamn brings the cover of Batman #33 on the screen and invites Snyder to talk about the issue. Snyder "Zero year has been my favorite…but for me it's the most personal thing I've done." Snyder says Zero Year was taking the origin and building it around modern fears. Zero Year "was our chance to have our fears around us today." – "random gunmen, climate change, superstorms."

Snyder promises will be one big "reward" for fans. Unfortunately, Greg Capullo is sick and can't make it to the panel. Best wishes, Greg. Snyder says Capullo "sends his love, his giant muscled love."

Next, Cunningham introduces Batman Eternal – Snyder says when DC approached him with a Batman weekly, his biggest fear was that there would "too much space" and he didn't want the plot to meander. Snyder made sure Eternal is the biggest, nuttiest Batman story yet. Cunningham talks about the production schedule for weeklies.

The crowd applauds for Robin Rises. Tomasi says the last "Robin Rises in December will have the big 1 -2 punch…and that will be a "Robin" in the DCU." Cunningham and Tomasi discuss how Robin Rises will tie into the very first arc of New 52 Batman & Robin, making it a 40 issue plus story.

Tomasi: "The last page of #33 is a real kicker." Tomasi says it was important that Batman's grief was not "brushed aside" and that it had a "lingering effect." Cunningham just flipped to Hellbat and flipped back. Mark Doyle yells "Yeah!" and says he was playing Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell when he got the art for the first time. There's an exchange that there needs to be a Hellbat toy eventually. I sure hope so.

Gleason says the Hellbat suit "looks cool, but really is functional." Tomasi praises how Batman can fit into any genre of story – sci-fi, western.

Cunningham shows Detective Comics #33.

Mark Doyle ran around the DC office showing people how amazing Brian's and Francis's Detective Comics was. "The ramifications of the murder of Elena will play out in our next arc with Anarky." says Buccellato

Batman/Superman Final Hours is a new arc that will be reminiscent of the first arc where they met their Earth 2 counterparts. Batman and Superman will regain their memories and travel to Earth 2 to try to save the lives of their counterparts. "It's a time-travel, cross-dimensional, crazy hijinks story." Issue #13 will have a "fresh start" although Pak doesn't want to give it away. "What would happen in the beginning of their careers if Batman met Lois Lane and Superman met Catwoman? What would happen?"

Andreyko debates whether revealing spoilers for Issue #35 "The Unknowns are The Demon, Clayface, Ragman and a female character who may or may not be related to Batwoman." One spoiler is that the issue will take place in outer space. Doyle says that it's "still Kate's story" and Andreyko adds that it was easy because the previous creators built such a rich mythology.

"Unresolved Emotional Stuff" will be the title of all Batman titles in the future jokes Cunninghan and then plugs Grayson and a Harley Quinn SDCC. variant. A Death of the Family hardcover/mask box set is a Grafitti exclusive at San Diego now and will be released in September like the Court of Owls box set.

Q&A time – A little kid asks whether there are any plans for Nightwing because he doesn't like the Grayson title. The crowd laughs. "Maybe you could do a Damian Wayne Nightwing like in Injustice." Doyle responds "Send me a pitch."

"Give it a chance," Doyle adds.

"Maybe," the kid responds.

Another fan is happy Ragman is debuting in the New 52 and asks since Batwoman and Ragman are Jewish, will Judaism play a major role in their team up.

"There will be a Passover Crossover." Andreyko jokes.

A fan asks whether Snyder will ever return to prose or publish his unpublished novel. Snyder says that he would like to someday, but there are no plans right now.

Andreyko says the female character in the Unknowns will be named "Red Alice" in response to a fan's question about Kate's relationship with his mother and sister.

The next question is about how Snyder wrote the riddles in the last Batman issue. Paul Dini told Snyder that he won't like writing Riddler because the riddles are very hard.

One questioner asks whether we'll ever see the return of the Joker and Snyder says "Yes, we will 100% see the return of the Joker and the story is all planned out…It will be the scariest Joker we've ever done." Although, Synder does warn us to not expect him to kill everyone as he insists he's more interested in hurting characters in other ways.

Someone asks Tomasi whether he has any plans for Ra's Ah Ghul's daughter Nyssa.

Tomasi: "No." Ouch…

Cunnigham gives a Google Nexus to a woman in a Court of Owls costume and wraps up the panel.

Nothing too exciting or new announced, but the chemistry between the creators was fun and light.

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