The Batman screenwriter asks big questions in new comic Batman: Imposter

“Does Batman killIs that true? People are really obsessed with that question.” Mattson Tomlin says, when asked about the inspirations behind the two plot lines of Batman, Imposter. Tomlin knows Batman well. He is also an avid fan of Batman online. He wrote the script for Warner Bros.’ BatmanA film in production at some point since 2014, “The Friend”

Fans anticipate this. Batman’s delayed 2022 release — and a new trailer from this weekend’s DC FanDome — Batman, Imposter#1, written by Tomlin and drawn by Andrea Sorrentino, has been published (Joker: Killer SmileJordie Bellaire colored the sand (Wonder Girl

According to Tomlin, the inspirations for this series came from a variety of sources. First among them was his own preference for Batman stories that felt more real than fantasy, but also two frequently asked questions when it comes to the Dark Knight: “Does Batman kill?” and “Why doesn’t Batman just go to therapy already?” Shake those ideas up in a jar with a “really unused” Batman character, and you’ll get something like Batman, Imposter, in which Bruce Wayne faces an enemy who keeps dressing up like Batman and murdering criminals, and an ally who tells him he has to attend daily therapy sessions or she’ll call the police and reveal his secret identity.

“There are always these tweets going around,” Tomlin said, “‘Bruce Wayne would rather dress up and beat up criminals and then go to therapy.’This was an excellent way to get in. What happens to Batman if he goes to therapy And then as he’s seeing this thing happen, this guy killing in Batman’s name. What does that do to him and his own analysis of what he’s doing? [And] there’s somebody who’s who’s really tough — Leslie is very tough on him — in [forcing him to analyze] Is this really necessary??”

By “this thing,” Tomlin means “being Batman,” and by Leslie, he means Leslie Thompkins, recurring Gotham City denizen since she was created by all-time-great Batman writer Denny O’Neil and artist Dick Giordano in 1976. Leslie is the psychologist who assigned Bruce Wayne to after his death. She runs Crime Alley’s free clinic, which most comics depict. However, she did not make an appearance on a Batman movie (her role was taken by Morena Baccarin). GothamKrista and Krista bridges TitansOnly one episode featured him. Batman: The Animated Series) she’s not well known outside of Batman diehards. Tomlin was attracted to this fact by itself.

“She’s had some moments, but she’s never really gotten a modern update, where I feel like ‘OK, that’s who she is today.’ […] That’s really exciting for a writer, to go ‘OK, I can imbue them with a voice that is of its own thing and people aren’t going to be expecting it to feel like something that they’re used to.’”

Image: Mattson Tomlin, Andrea Sorrentino/DC Comics

Crucially, unlike most of Bruce’s allies, Leslie disapproves mightily of his choice to become Batman.

“There are these characters in Batman’s mythology that are there to be supportive. [… But]Usually, Batman, Alfred, and Jim are the ones in control. [Gordon]They aren’t going to be those who put him in his place. That’s what what drew me to Leslie […] Creating a character that could be a lot firmer with him than some of these other characters that populate Bruce Wayne’s life.”

You can find the entire book in Batman, Imposter #1, Leslie strikes a deal with Bruce: Either she calls the police and tells them that Batman is Bruce Wayne, or he can come to her clinic every day at dawn for a talk therapy session, to prove to her that being Batman isn’t completely destructive.

“In those first few pages she really takes him to town,” Tomlin tells Polygon. “She gets the upper hand on him, and that’s a really exciting place to put [Batman], where suddenly somebody else has the advantage over him.”

Image: Mattson Tomlin, Andrea Sorrentino/DC Comics

But there’s one more reason that Leslie Thompkins has a special place in Batman, ImposterThis is a. “Obviously, you know, the the character was created by by Denny O’Neil,” Tomlin says. “And Denny’s son Larry was my first screenwriting teacher. Larry did an honor for Jorge Fernandez with DC Comics in April. He and I got back in touch; I hadn’t talked to him for a couple of years, and I said, ‘Oh, and by the way, I’m doing this book. I really I wish your dad could see this, I think he would have really liked it.’ Larry was really touched and also kind of mindblown, that one of his students was now writing a character that [his father]Created. So there’s a fun thing for me there, just on the personal side, of being able to do something with this character that not only one of my heroes had written, but also his son taught me how to get off my training wheels.”

The obvious question is: Batman, ImposterAnything to Do With BatmanTomlin also has the answer.

“There’s definitely a sympathetic vibe between the two,” he told Polygon. “They’re both dark, gritty Batman stories [but]This is true in each of its individual continuity. As soon as people can experience both they’ll go ‘Oh, these these two are similar in the vibe, but their stories and the characters that are around and what can and can’t happen are so different.’ […] Hopefully people who like the comic will like the movie and vice versa, but they’re standalone from each other.”

Batman, Imposter#1: Now on the shelves