Starting October 3rd with issue #13, “Chew” author John Layman will be taking over writing duties on “Detective Comics” and Jason Fabok, who recently did pencils for the “Batman Annual“, will handle the art.
Obviously, this is a happily surreal and exciting turn-of-events for my career. Not only is this my first work within the DC Universe, but I get to work on one of DC’s undisputedly coolest and highest-profile characters. I’m going to take a look at the role of criminal organizations within Gotham City, hopefully from a perspective that does not get considered very often (if at all). From the symbiotic relationship a master criminal must have with Gotham in order to survive, to the lowly, often faceless criminal underling hoping to rise up the ranks. All that, plus Batman’s gonna play with a bunch of crazy new toys and kick all kinds of butt.
—John Layman, Interview with DC’s The Source
This sounds great (especially after yesterday’s issue of “Detective Comics” which I gave a 1/10, a change is definitely needed!). My friends are always telling me how great “Chew” is (it’s about an FDA agent who solves crimes by, you guessed it, eating things!) and I recently borrowed the first few issues. Looks like I’ll be reading this series ASAP. And I really liked the variant covers Fabok did for “Batman” recently and I thought he did a great job with Snyder’s “Batman Annual”. Fabok also had a few things to add in the interview with DC’s blog…
First, I want to express how thankful I am to have this opportunity. I am humbled that DC Comics would entrust me with one of their greatest titles. To work on a Batman title has been the number one goal that I set for my career and I am honored to have this opportunity to make my dream become a reality. I’m really hoping to deliver a dark, epic Batman with hints of the art deco stylings of the old animated series and the more modern take seen in recent incarnations. I am hoping to let my influences gush out onto the page and create something that is familiar, classic and yet my own. As for working with John Layman, I couldn’t be more excited. John is a great visual storyteller and he packs every page with meaningful panels that bring the story forward and add incredible depth. Together we hope to deliver a quality Batman tale, filled with mystery, twists, turns, shockers and most of all, fun!
So what’s everybody think of this news? Are these the guys to make “Detective Comics” a good comic again, or what? Judging by the cover teased here, it looks like Penguin is going to be getting even more face-time. Why do you think Penguin is receiving so much attention in the New 52?
