Comic creator James Tynion IV is the latest writer to receive an Eisner award, and for good reason. In addition to penning an acclaimed horror series, Something is Killing the Children for Boom! Studios (which earned him his first Eisner nomination in 2020), as well as several other independent series, Tynion is best-known and revered by fans as the writer of Batman for DC Comics. While his work for DC has included notable contributions to titles such as Justice League and Red Hood and the Outlaws, Tynion's tenure in the world of the Dark Knight has introduced many fan favorites to the title, including the new characters Clownhunter, Ghost-Maker, and the Joker's new psychotic love interest Punchline.

The acclaimed writer took time to sit in an exclusive interview with CBR to discuss what fans can expect from Batman: Fear State, the changes and modifications he has brought into the Bat-Universe, and which one of Gotham City's villains is deserving of more respect than he has been given. Tynion also discussed approaching the end of his Batman run, which is arguably one of the most iconic on the title, as well his favorite moments during his tenure.

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CBR: We'd like to offer you congratulations on your recent success, although I am sad to see you leave the Batman title. You've brought us so many great characters and moments!

James Tynion IV: I appreciate that! It was an incredibly hard decision to make. But one of the things I keep telling people is that I'm still part of the DC family! I'm still close to all my editors and all my bosses. I'm shifting my focus on my own worlds for a while, but I'm not saying I'm done with the superheroes who have been part of my life for the past ten years. I'm just exploring some other things. Don't be surprised if after a few months I'm back to do that Mad Hatter story I've always wanted to do!

CBR: You've had a great run on Batman, full of equally great moments. What has been your personal favorite moment during your time on the title?

Oh, that is such a good question. Honestly, it really comes down to all the great characters I've been building with Jorge Jimenez. That has been the biggest joy of working on the Batman title for the last couple of years. A few years ago, I did a fifty issue run on Detective Comics that was basically my fanboy run. That was 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. But 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.

Thinking back about my favorite moments, it would have to be at the end of "Ghost Stories" when Batman asks Ghost-Maker to stay. And it's the moment with Batman and Miracle Molly looking over Gotham City and talking about the idea of the Cowardly Lot. It's in the annual, when Clownhunter talks to Leslie Thompkins about not being sure what the future holds. And it's the first time Harley Quinn met Punchline. Those are the moments that really shine in my mind, and I'm incredibly proud of them.

I can't wait to see what the future brings. 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.

Related: Batman: How One Minor Gotham Villain Broke the Dark Knight Worse Than Bane

CBR: Scarecrow's look in "Fear State" makes him appear more frightening than ever, like something that just stepped out of a horror movie. Is this what you were going for in his redesign?

Oh absolutely! His look is the embodiment of everything that is happening in both "The Cowardly Lot" and "Fear State." Imagine if there was a dystopian future, cyberpunk horror anime that starred Batman. That's the vibe me and Jorge have been after this year. We've been trying to tap into that from all different angles, and that was out ambition heading into these stories.

CBR: What made you consider taking Scarecrow in this direction?

I've always found Scarecrow to be one of the biggest untapped resources in the Batman universe. It goes all the way back to Batman's original decision to fight crime in Gotham City. It goes back to the core concept that villains are a superstitious and cowardly lot, and Batman uses fear as a weapon against the criminals of Gotham City. The villain who understands that better than anyone else has always been Scarecrow. As a psychologist, he understands fear and has studied it for his entire life. I have always thought that being able to tap into a character who is so fixated on the concept of fear and the ways fear can change a person is fodder for a really good story.

It's always bothered me that there hasn't been a big, epic Batman story with Scarecrow as the central villain. Even in movies like Batman Begins Ra's al Ghul is the big bad guy, not Scarecrow. I wanted to create an environment that really let him thrive in the books, and I also wanted to work with Jorge to make the Scarecrow design really scary in a modern way.

There are always a few different paths you can take with the look of the Scarecrow. You can go back to the burlap and the wide brim hat. Or you can go with his Batman Begins look where he's just wearing a sack over his head. There's also the video game gas mask look. I wanted to take the best from all those different interpretations and create something that felt modern and scary and strange. The idea of a scarecrow is that it's meant to be scary. If you're in a room with one, you don't know if there's a real human in the suit or if it's just a dummy standing there. That's the scary element that I wanted to tap into for the character and this story, and Jorge's design absolutely blew me away. I think we have a really iconic look and feel for Scarecrow here.

Batman #112 by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles marks the first chapter of "Fear State" and is on sale Sept. 7 from DC Comics.

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