Hatrack River Forum: Neil Gaiman to write "Batman" in 2009...

This is topic Neil Gaiman to write "Batman" in 2009... in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

...wow. I may have to start reading the Batman monthly comics again. Grant Morrison's run has been incoherent gobbledygook based heavily on ancient 1950s stories he adores and everyone else despises. Paul Dini's run over in Detective Comics has been uneven and mostly unremarkable. (Sad, compared to his exemplary work on the 90s animated series.)

Gaiman on Batman? Neil's made no secret that he's fond of the characters. There were even briefly plans to have the Sandman characters turn up on the Dini-Timm animated series. I think this could be very cool.

*crosses fingers*

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

I dunno. Gaiman's a magical realism guy, and Batman + magical realism = suck.

Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

He's written Batman before. In the 1989 Secret Origins Villains of Gotham special, plus some cameos in the Black Orchid mini-series. Neither of those were "Magic Realism". Nor was his recent Eternals project for Marvel in that style.

Has he said he'll do it in that style?

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

No. But (IMO) that's mainly the style he does well. He's a passable writer in other styles, but that's where his strength lies. Hiring him to write a straightforward superhero noir is like hiring Terry Pratchett to write X-Men.

Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

His science fiction work in the recent InterWorld was pretty good, though that was co-written with Michael Reaves. Eternals was a good deliberate "Chariots of the Gods' style revival of Kirby's creation.

While Black Orchid was obviously the project of a very young writer, I think it did the super-hero noir bit well there. And his Riddler origin was brilliant.

Didn't enjoy any of those?

Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :

Gaiman is a strong writer. And I hope he can do a wonderful Batman.

But honestly, Eternals didn't impress me that much. It felt like when the characters reclaimed their demigod status, they lost all interest (or perhaps Gaiman lost interest in them.)

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

quote:
Didn't enjoy any of those?

No.

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

What did you think of 1602, Tom?

Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :

I was pretty underwhelmed, actually.

Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :

quote:
Originally posted by TomDavidson:
...like hiring Terry Pratchett to write X-Men.

Please? Oh, c'mon, pretty please! [ROFL]

--Enigmatic

Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :

Yeah, that would actually be awesome! [Big Grin]

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

Looks like Gaiman is going to be writing 2010's Doctor Strange, and that Guillermo Del Toro may be directing it.

Gaiman is a natural for Doctor Strange, I think, and Del Toro should do a great job of creating the look of that movie.

Posted by Godric 2.0 (Member # 11443) on :

Del Toro's going to be able to squeeze in a Doctor Strange movie while working on the Hobbit films?!

Wow...

Posted by plaid (Member # 2393) on :

I liked 1602 as a fun what-if type story, and it had some fun twists and turns to it. But, definitely not as interesting as his other stuff.

Gaiman's website says he's not becoming the regular writer for Batman, just doing two big issues.