Exclusive! Batman Re-Imagined: An Interview With Geoff Johns
This ain't your father's dark knight. Two years in the making, Batman: Earth One gives Bruce Wayne's origin a new perspective.
Everyone knows Batman, even if they've never so much as dipped a toe into the comic book world. His story is as iconic as that of Superman, so what happens when DC Comics Chief Creative Officer decides Bruce Wayne needs a shake up?
Enter Batman: Earth One. Set in an alternate universe, so as not to upset the status quo too much, it sees Bruce Wayne not as the world's greatest detective but as a fallible, flawed young man working his way through feelings of isolation and survivor's guilt by projecting them into a quest for vengeance. This version of Batman is not out to protect the innocent; he's an angry vigilante hell bent on his quest with little interest in heroics and a lot to learn about the mean streets of Gotham.
Buzzfeed got a chance to sit down with Geoff Johns and talk about his first foray into original graphic novel storytelling. After years of writing for Justice League and the Green Lantern, Johns and artist Gary Frank wanted to retell the story you think you know.

BuzzFeed: I was so excited after I read Batman: Earth One and was like āI canāt wait to tell...no one. Anything.ā
Geoff Johns: Yea itās been hard. Gary and I have been working on it for so long, like two years, so weāre so excited for it to come out because we havenāt been able to talk about it with anybody.
BF: Wow, two years? Thatās amazing that you guys have been able to keep all this a secret for so long.
GJ: Yeah, itās been tough.
BF: Well, letās just to dive into these questions then now that you can! To start, for people who arenāt sure what the premise of Batman: Earth One is, whatās a quick summary?
GJ: Sure, the first Earth One book was a modern retelling of Supermanās origin and Batman: Earth One is a modern retelling of the beginning of Bruce Wayne and Batman and itās a look at the man more than it is the mask.
For Gary and I we wanted to take a very human approach to these characters, Bruce Wayne and Alfred, and youāll see a very different Gotham and a very, very different Alfred and a Bruce Wayne who is not quite the Batman that everyone knows. Heās not very good yet, heās not a fighting machine. Heās just a guy who is seeking vengeance.

BF: Yeah, heās also kind of a dick, which surprised me. You actually made the fact he had money make him a bit of an entitled brat as a child. And how it partially led to his parents shooting.
GJ: Itās hard, I think. Itās gotta be the single greatest regret in his life, is that moment. And I donāt think thereās one second it doesnāt haunt him and he hasnāt told anybody about it and thatās eaten him up inside since he was 10 years old.
BF: It was interesting how you showed the deathās of Bruceās parents. The moment is so iconic, but as far as I know, no one has gone into the immediate aftermath of what happens when a 10 year old watches his parents get shot in the street. Did that grow organically while you were storytelling or did someone on the team have a moment where they said, āWe should probably go into how that would be psychologically traumatizing to a child and warp their world view.ā?
GJ: When Gary and I talked about the characters, when we first had the opportunity to do this story, the greatest thing about it was the format. We didnāt have a monthly deadline to worry about, we didnāt have any other Batman comics to worry about, this was really a stand alone story, a universe that we could create all our own. We could take characters and push them in directions they havenāt been pushed before because we thought it could make the story better. And in the end there were some things that were very true to the Batman stories and there are some things that are very different but the DNA of it is there. It looks familiar but emotionally I hope it resonates in a different way. And so when we talked about Bruce and what he would go through and what he would be like and what would happen, it really took the story in a different direction.
BF: It was much more realistic or darker than previous Batman arcs.
GJ: And I think more nuanced. Itās not so cut and dry. Itās not black and white. The space and the time allows us to delve deeper into these characters and the choices they make and motivations change and everyone changes as they experience and confront things and we wanted to show that.

BF: You guys introduced a new villain in this graphic novel, and Iām obviously not going to say who, but itās a fairly awful serial killer. Do you plan to expand their story or origin in the future of Batman: Earth One and their role in Arkhamās mythos since it remained an opaque character throughout?
GJ: Yeah, in subsequent stories you will learn more about everybody. Thatās all I can really say.
BF: Oh obviously. I mean, no spoilers.
GJ: We hinted at a couple of different things and the ending to the first book really just sets the stage for whatās next for this universe.
BF: Speaking of, some brutal and seemingly permanent events occur throughout the story but everyone knows in comic books everything can be undone. Do you feel thatās the case here?āØ
GJ: Our book is very grounded. Characters donāt come back to life. Batman: Earth One is its own universe and the rules of reality apply to it.
BF: So youāre like the George R.R. Martin of Batman now?āØ
GJ: Yes, exactly.

BF: You were talking earlier how all the characters are fundamentally who they are in Earth Zero but youāve kind of shifted the dynamic. Alfred in particular seems to have undergone a sort of drastic re-imagining, which to me as I read just translated as, āOMG Alfred is a badass now!ā For you, which character revamp is your favorite? Were there any you felt you should just leave alone?
GJ: Um, God they were all great. There was nobody in it that we felt we couldnāt change. Everyone has changed. My favorite? I really love Bruce and Alfred together. And the cops. The cops became much bigger than Gary and I ever thought. They just took on a life of their own.
BF: Gordon's struggle with his place in Gothamās bureaucracy was just such a great subplot. It was so nuanced and well-written. (Editorās Note: My fangirl is showing, how embarrassing.)
GJ: Thanks.
BF: Just to end on a light note, thereās a kind of a running joke about Batmanās cape, was that a nod to Pixar's The Incredibles and their whole ācapes get superheroes killedā bit?
GJ: No no, not at all actually.

BF: Before we go, do you have anything youād like to add?
GJ: Just that Gary Frank, my artist and partner in crime on this thing, is great. He allows me to slow it down and let the emotional reactions of the characters tell the story. I donāt need to do narration when I work with somebody as talented as Gary. I think heās just a master storyteller and I really canāt wait for people to see this body of work heās done with our inker Jon Sibal and our colorist Brad Anderson.
BF: Awesome. When can people find Batman: Earth One on shelves or in digital form?
GJ: Itās in comic shops July 4th and book stores July 10th.