With his run on Batman to end in the coming months, James Tynion IV remembered some of his favorite moments while writing for the title.
In a recent interview with CBR, Tynion was asked the question, "What has been your personal favorite moment during [his] time on the title?" His run began with Batman #85 and saw him introduce many new characters to the world of the caped crusader, as well as two events, Joker War and Fear State. For the writer, his highlights are the moments that include the characters he helped create and will leave behind as a part of his legacy.
"Honestly, it really comes down to all the great characters I've been building with Jorge Jimenez," Tynion said. He mentioned how his tenure working on Detective Comics included him diving in to all the characters from Batman he loved as a "fanboy." "That is where I referenced all my favorite Batman and Bat-family stories. I focused on the characters I loved the most like Kate Kane's Batwoman and Tim Drake, and getting to do that was me fulfilling every fanboy part of my soul."
However, Tynion was thrilled to be able to create characters to add on to the Batman mythos. "Going into Gotham City and being able to build new characters that change the mythology in core ways is something that I'm incredibly grateful to have been able to do." Some of the many characters that Tynion helped create and bring to Batman include Ghost-Maker, Miracle Molly, Clownhunter, Punchline and more. The writer mentioned four moments that featured his new characters when discussing his favorites.
The first was from Batman #105, where after the two faced off in the "Ghost Stories" arc, Batman asked Ghost-Maker to stay in Gotham and continue to help out him and the city. Another mention was Batman's encounter with Miracle Molly in Batman #108, who quickly figures out his disguise as "Matches Malone," but instead of turning on him immediately, she took the moment to share the Unsanity Collective's ideology. In turn, Bruce explained his philosophy on criminals, Tynion mentioning how they can be seen "talking about the idea of the Cowardly Lot" in the issue.
Other moments mentioned by the writer are instances where one of his new character creations interacted with an established Batman character. He brought up Clownhunter talking to Leslie Thompkins in Batman Annual #5 and Harley Quinn meeting the Joker's new girlfriend, Punchline, for the first time in Batman #92. Tynion is excited to see how future writers will pick up his characters and add on to their stories when he is done with them.
"I can't wait to see what the future brings," Tynion said. "That's the fun thing about working in superhero universes. Rather than just taking out my favorite toys and playing with them, I've put a bunch of new toys in the toy box. If I did my job right, in five to ten years I'll get to see as a fan new writers and artists come in and put their own spin on these characters and take them into their next chapters."
Batman #113 is the next issue from the series to release on Sept. 21, 2021 from DC Comics. Tynion serves as co-writer on the issue with Brandon Thomas and interior and cover art provided by Jorge Jimenez.
Source: Comic Book Resources