Fresh off of teaming up with Grant Morrison to bring the cosmic unknown of the DC Universe to life in The Green Lantern, acclaimed comic book creator Liam Sharp is partnering with Garth Ennis for the DC Black Label miniseries Batman: Reptilian. Launching in June and running for six issues, the miniseries has the Dark Knight hunting something that's hunting his rogues gallery, leading the Caped Crusader to delve into his own heart of darkness.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Sharp discussed how he developed Batman: Reptilian's haunting vision of Gotham City, rendering the infamous members of Batman's rogues gallery and how the book is a tribute to the late comic creator Steve Dillon.
Liam, I love how your vision of Gotham City is imbued with the sinister foreboding of the Gothic, while also containing cyberpunk flourishes. How was it developing your version of Gotham in this painted style?
Liam Sharp: It all came very naturally! I responded to the tone of the script, and this felt like it needed to be a shadowy, rain-drenched gothic Gotham. It might be some of the most impressionist work I've done, but I'm loving it. There's a nod to Arkham Asylum here, amongst other Bat-books -- quite consciously referring to the late '80s, early '90s.
This series also has your take on many classic figures in Batman's rogues gallery, distinctly unique to your art style yet recognizably garish and gruesome as ever. When approaching rendering these villains, what did you want to retain? And what did you want to make your own?
There's an element in the story that is messing with the character's perceptions and there's a lot of just general psychosis in Gotham -- isn't there always? So that gave me a little freedom to keep the way I draw the characters slightly fluid. They are as much grounded in who we might perceive them in each scene as to how they actually are. There's something in the air that warps perceptions. I had planned to play it quite straight, but when it came to the rogues gallery, I couldn't help myself. The monsters broke loose!
How has it been working with Garth on this book?
We've known each other and been good pals for decades, so it's more shocking that we've never actually done something together before! Garth is honestly fantastic to work with. He has a strong sense of story and pace, and I try not to mess with any of that and just give him something that doesn't get in the way of the jokes or the words. But he's also very quick to get back to me whenever I deliver a page, which is great because you feel much more like you're in it together when there's a dialogue -- even if it's just one or two words, like "Nice!" or "Great!" or "Look at that (expletive)..."
Coming off something as mind-bending and surreal as The Green Lantern with Grant Morrison, how is it to lean into the grounded, yet operatic, possibilities that come with the Batman mythos?
It's certainly a different pace! I've enjoyed being in one place a bit longer and exploring the mood and landscapes of Gotham. It's more about the place than I expected. The city really does become a character.
Liam, with this book described as a tribute to Steve Dillon, how did you want to celebrate his life and legacy in the artwork?
Steve was a dear friend of both of ours, and I wrote a dedication to him at the start. I miss him loads. He was there at the start of my career, and we lived around the corner from each other when I first moved to London, and Garth, Steve and I had many great nights together in New York, and elsewhere. He was kind of a big brother figure to a lot of us.
This was meant to be his book, but sadly we lost him. Garth and Marie wanted to keep it in the family though, and so I was offered the book a few years ago. Of course, I said yes for the reason you mention, but it's hard stepping into such a Giant's shoes! As I mention in the dedication, I can sometimes feel him looking over my shoulder though, chuckling, and saying, "Don't worry about it, mate. You do you! It's great!"
Written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Liam Sharp, Batman: Reptilian #1 goes on sale June 22 from DC Comics.