DCU in 2011: With friends like these... [David Finch on drawing BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT]
Bruce Wayne's been building his global empire of Batman, Incorporated. But now and again, he still needs to reach out to an old friend for a helping hand.
In writer/artist David Finch's Batman: The Dark Knight series, that old friend is old indeed: Etrigan the Demon has been around for a looooong time. And judging by Finch's amazing pencils, well, I'm not sure just how much of a help Etrigan is going to be for Bruce.
Finch was nice enough to provide a little insight into the magic that awaits:
"Batman is a global brand, with corporate funding and vigilante operations worldwide, but Bruce has been fighting for Gotham City his whole adult life. And he can't walk away that easily. Gotham's villians band together to remind him who his real enemy is, and his friends need him more than ever. Batman is building an empire, but its foundation is showing deep cracks.
"And there's a wildcard. Arcane forces have been unleashed in Gotham, and they very quickly threaten to turn Gotham City into hell on earth. Batman enlists the help of Etrigan the Demon, who has intimate knowledge of the threat he faces, but Etrigan has loyalties of his own, and helping Batman puts him at odds with his masters. He's been demoted in the hierarchy of hell, but when he's offered the honor of being a rhymer once again if he betrays Batman, he has a terrible decision to make. Meanwhile Batman's attention is almost completely consumed by the beautiful Dawn Golden, who he's been trying to rescue from capture. He becomes so obsessed with finding and saving her, that he goes to places within himself that he has always held in check. And he doesn't see the forces that are aligning themselves against him. There would be no hope if it weren't for an unlikely new friend who is there to help when he needs it the most. But helping Batman comes at a high price."
I've said it before and will say it again, Finch is one of the most talented and nicest people in the comic book industry. But what's it like to actually work with him as his editor? Maybe we should ask Mike Marts.
"There are many great things about working with David Finch, but one of the main points that sticks out is his willingness to be a part of the Batman creative team. When David first signed on board to write and pencil a Batman book for us, one of the first things he asked for was to be brought up to speed on current continuity and what the other Bat-titles were up to. Other creators in his position might have wanted to do “their own thing” or enact their own “take” on the character. But not David—he wanted to dive headfirst into the continuity pool and expressed a strong desire to interact with Scott Snyder, Grant Morrison, Tony Daniel and the other Bat-writers. That says a lot to me about a creator. I know we’re going to get nothing but amazing stories from David for a long time to come."
