“This imprint is the opportunity to go bigger, to do books that have a long shelf life,” says Bermejo. The attempt at reinterpreting Batman is just a small part of a far grander mission for Azzarello and Bermejo, and by extension, the Black Label. It takes away the human quality, so much of who that character is.” “You can hit him, shoot him, the guy never seems to go down. “He’s a force of unstoppable will,” Bermejo says. By throwing Batman into the supernatural underbelly with an expert like Constantine, Bermejo and Azzarello aim to reinterpret how audiences think of Batman and his ability to prevail. We’re dealing with the supernatural elements of the DC Universe, it made sense for the narrator to have answers rather than the protagonist.”īesides, he adds, “Haven’t you read enough books where Batman is the narrator?”īermejo, Azzarello’s chief co-conspirator, believes there’s been a “Robocop”-ification of Batman he always has a solution tucked in his utility belt. “This time, I want Batman to have questions. He just showed up and there were all these questions,” Azzarello says. “When I wrote Hellblazer, he was not the narrator. It’s this reason why the two chose Constantine, a character who by definition (and by his own admission) is a con artist, as the series’ main narrator, leaving Batman without perspective or answers. Anytime you take control away from Batman, he’s suddenly a way more interesting character.” “But if you write a story where someone else has the upper hand on him, it completely changes the dynamic of the story.

“One of the problems with Batman right now is that he’s always up on somebody else,” Azzarello says. The two creatives explain that the unlikely pairing of Constantine and Batman aims to fix a “problem” with Batman: He’s an invincible know-it-all. In Batman: Damned, Batman finds himself out of his league when he teams up with dark arts magician John Constantine to solve the inexplicable murder of the Joker. Set outside mainstream DC canon, Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo - the duo behind 2005’s Lex Luthor: Man of Steel and 2008’s Joker - tell Inverse their new comic is equal parts supernatural horror, murder mystery, and “DC done by HBO.” Welcome to the dark heart of Batman: Damned the next new series from DC’s adult-oriented imprint Black Label hitting shelves on September 19. But what if Batman weren’t in control? What if Batman didn’t have a clue about the dangers around him? What if someone else had all the answers? What is Batman’s superpower? True Bat-scholars will argue it’s not (only) his absurd wealth as Bruce Wayne, but his almost inhuman ability to prepare for anything.

Lee bermejo batman