FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008
BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHT: ALAN BURNETT
Few creators have been involved with Batman more than Alan Burnett.
In animation, Burnett first touched Batman on Super Friends and revisited the character in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, three movies, and, most recently, on The Batman.
In comics, Burnett has written Batman in Superman/Batman and Justice League of America in the past year.
This summer, Burnett continues his 17-year association with the character as story editor and writer of the anchoring segment of Batman Gotham Knight, the third in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies.
Batman Gotham Knight -- due in stores on DVD and Blu-ray on July 8 -- weaves six interlocking stories that reveal Bruce Waynešs journey to The Dark Knight, each with art from Japanese animation visionaries. The film features stories written by Burnett, Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Jordan Goldberg, Greg Rucka and Brian Azzarello.
An anime fan, Burnett said he was very intrigued and inspired by the idea of allowing Japanese directors to have relatively free reign on the animated look of Batman.
"From a visual point of view, this is the most stylized Batman that's come out of Warner Bros. -- what they've done is really eye-catching, and it truly expands his world," Burnett said. "Their visualization of Gotham City is stunning, and it's very interesting to see how they've envisioned Batman, his environment and his action and movements."
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In addition to story editing Batman Gotham Knight, Burnett wrote "Deadshot," the movie's sixth and final segment. The segment ties together threads from all the film's chapters as Batman must thwart an unerring assassin whose love of guns and disregard for human life lets him cross lines that Batman shies away from.
Although Deadshot appeared in Cartoon Network's Justice League, Batman Gotham Knight's version showcases a villain associated solely with guns -- an attitude that flies in direct opposition to Batman's anti-gun approach. For Burnett, this was the first opportunity to portray Deadshot as he is known in comics.
"I've always liked Deadshot as a villain, and I really like stories with assassins," Burnett said. "The fact that they're killers, and what they do has impact, automatically heightens the energy of the story."
As story editor, Burnett worked to ensure all six scripts worked together into one story. Burnett said that entailed little more than a few alterations for flow and continuity.
"I thought it was important to keep the integrity of each writer's words," Burnett said. "The writers all pretty much had the same voice for Batman, so I had to change very little dialogue, just small fixes to tie up loose ends, and reinforce transitions and connections between the stories. But I did as little editing as I could because I respected what the writers wrote, and I thought it was important that their voice was heard. Just as the artists made their segments their own, so should the writers."
Burnett said he is excited to see the fans' reactions to the film, particularly the use of shorter segments to tell Batman stories.
"For my segment, I think the first Deadshot murder is quite good -- there's a lot of eye candy within the cityscape," Burnett said. "The artists added fireworks and balloons and a lot of interesting elements to what ultimately is a cold-blooded murder.
"I like the short-form for Batman, because it feels almost like a 22-page comic book story. In short form, the stakes are elevated from the beginning, and it gives you a chance to really heighten the action quickly -- so you can make your points hard and fast and get out."
Burnett, Azzarello and Olson, along with producer Bruce Timm, have confirmed their participation on the panel following the world premiere of Batman Gotham Knight at Wizard World Chicago.
Copyright © 2008 The Comics Continuum