Exclusive Interview: Daniel Warren Johnson on Absolute Batman Annual #1
- CBCCPodcast
- a few seconds ago
- 3 min read
We chat with Daniel Warren Johnson about Absolute Batman Annual #1 and why it was one of his most brutal comics to make.
There’s zero doubt, Absolute Batman Annual #1 will be one of the year’s most talked-about comics. Featuring three stories by Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, James Harren, Dave Stewart, Meredith McClaren, and Clayton Cowles, this hefty comic centers on the early Absolute Universe adventures of Bruce Wayne, revealing how that chonky Batmobile came to be, and just how Black Mask’s party animals first encountered the Dark Knight. We read the comic a couple of weeks back, and the instant we flipped that last page, we were compelled to get Daniel Warren Johnson into a Zoom room. Thankfully, he obliged.
Johnson’s untitled story makes up the bulk of the Absolute Batman Annual. It propels Absolute Batman against a white supremacist horde, showcasing some of the most brutal action from the ongoing series so far, while doing so in a way that questions that violence’s effectiveness. As Daniel Warren Johnson has showcased in other comics like Murder Falcon, Do a Powerbomb!, and his recent run on Transformers, badass, jaw-dropping visuals are only half his might as a creator. DWJ breaks hearts as often as he breaks bones.
“It’s in my blood and it’s boiling, and I have to get it out.”
In an exclusive conversation with Comic Book Couples Counseling, Johnson explains how his tale in the Absolute Batman Annual came to pass. We discuss his reluctance to contribute to the world so expertly crafted by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, and how one single image eventually caused him to put everything he had into this character and universe. Daniel Warren Johnson tells us why supplying only compelling, catastrophic action isn't enough for him as a storyteller. He requires more than an exclamation point to climax his stories. He needs a question.
Absolute Batman Annual is now available from DC Comics. Make sure you're following Daniel Warren Johnson on Blue Sky, Instagram, and his Website.
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Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics
Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson Live at Now or Never Comics
Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo on The Moon is Following Us
Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Do a Powerbomb!
Previously On CBCC: Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta on Absolute Batman
The Comics Crossover Event with The Short Box, Oblivion Bar, Off Panel, and CBCC
Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):
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