Exclusive “The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold” Rick Burchett Interview
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 sees the release of The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold #1, the revamped new comic title based on the acclaimed animated series Batman: The Brave and The Bold, to comic shops and hobby stores everywhere. Joining regular writer Sholly Fisch is artist Rick Burchett, a talent whose name should be familiar to fans of animated Batman lore. The Worlds Finest was able to conduct a Q & A with Mr. Burchett, introducing him to the new Batman: The Brave and The Bold fans and catching up Batman Adventures readers to his latest projects.
The Worlds Finest: For those who may not be familiar with you, care to give us a quick rundown of some of your past work?
Rick Burchett: I’ve been working in comics for almost 30 years,as a penciller and an inker. Some of the titles I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with are E-Man, Blackhawk, the JLA, the DC animated titles (Batman Adventures, Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited), the Black Hood, Green Lantern, Flash, She-Hulk, Kid Colt, Outlaw, and recently, Archie. Along the way I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up three Eisner Awards and the Haxtur Award from Spain.
WF: Now, with that out of the way, can you tell us how you came to be part of the creative team for the new The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold comic series?
RB: I received a call from editor Scott Peterson. Scott had been my editor on Batman Adventures and wanted to know if I’d be interested in penciling the book when it relaunched. It’s been a while since I had a regular monthly assignment. That appealed to me. But, ultimately, the reason I took the job was the opportunity to work with Scott again. It’s like coming home.
WF: What are your thoughts on the Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated series, and just how loyal will this book play to the show? What can we expect in the first few months in The All-New?
RB: I think if people like the tv series, they’ll like the book. Writer Sholly Fisch has done a great job of capturing the feel of the show. Which is a neat trick. It’s a show that hits a lot of notes: adventure, drama, humor, pathos,and sly satire. Now, consider the writer’s job on this book. He has to write a complete story in 20 pages always keeping in mind the source material, and Scott wants us to keep the pages to just 4 panels as much as possible. A new guest star every issue, no sub-plots, no continued stories, and the story has to be geared to all ages; stuff that kids can embrace but won’t bore adults. He has his work cut out for him.
The major difference between the show and the book are the guest stars. The TV show searches the nooks and crannies of DC’s pantheon to find obscure and little used characters. We’re mainly concerning ourselves with the heavy hitters. In the first five issues we have Superman, Captain Marvel, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and Guy Gardner.
WF: How has your personal style changed to adapt to the style of the Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated series? Is it difficult to have to adapt and mimic someone elses established style?
RB: Working in the animated style is a doubled edged sword. I love the style, and like working in it, but the truth of the matter is it’s a career killer. Once you’ve worked in the style for a time, editors think that’s how you draw, that’s all you can do. And unless that’s what they’re looking for, they won’t consider you for other projects. It’s a very hard prejudice to break. Many times they won’t even let you do samples to show your range. Plus, except for a few noticeable artists (Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, and others) there is a noticeable lack of respect for the style. It’s considered too cartoony and there are a limited number of books using that style on the market. It’s not my natural style, but I’ve been able to adapt to it.
WF: Whats it like to return to the animated playground after being away for the past little while. Is it like returning to familiar territory or is it all new?
RB: It’s nice to be back working in a style I enjoy, but I’m still feeling my way. You’ve probably noticed this isn’t the style that Bruce Timm developed. There are shadings of that style but this is it’s own thing. Batman is obviously the Dick Sprang Batman, as is the Joker and Bat-Mite, but the other characters are less so. There is some Jack Kirby influence, and nods to Manga and Anime here and there. Many of the core characters look like their 1960’s incarnations, and yet, we also deal with characters introduced in the 70’s and 80’s. Unfortunately, I don’t have character designs and story boards to work from like I had on the previous books. I’m having to pick up my reference on line. It’s helpful, but many times steps away from the original intent of the designers. So, people who pick up the book, expecting it to look exactly like the tv show, will be disappointed. So I apologize in advance and promise to make it better as we go along.
WF: Youve helped launch such titles as Batman: Gotham Adventures and Superman Adventures. What type of pressure is it to launch a new series such as this?
RB: I like adapting things from other media. I’ve always strongly felt that you can tell any story in comics. When I was a kid, some of my favorite books were those adapted from TV and movies. I don’t know if I feel pressure, but I believe we owe the reader an approximation of the same feeling they get from the source material. It was important to me as a reader, so I know how disappointing it can be to have creators who pay little or no attention to the original version of the concept. At the same time, you want to filter this concept through the conventions of the graphic narrative, to make it something more than screen grabs with word balloons added. I really enjoy the challenge.
WF: Not to veer off-topic, but ouching upon your Batman Adventures work again for a moment, is there any story you wish you had the chance to do? Perhaps something you would go back and change for one you did? What are your fondest memories of working during the Adventures era?
RB: I have so many great memories of the time I spent on the Adventures books. It was nice to be a part of something that was refreshingly different from everything else being published at the time. As I said I enjoyed working in the style, but mostly, it was the people I had the great good fortune to work with. These were consummate pros, at the top of their game. They all believed in the work and wanted to make the books the best they could be. It started with editor Scott Peterson, and later, Darren Vincenzo and Joan Hilty. They deeply cared about these books and it showed. If I attempt to mention the writers and artists involved I’m sure I’ll leave someone out.
Personally, I always wish I had another chance to improve the work. We did some great stuff, but along the way I was probably the weak link in the mix. I’m just lucky no one noticed.
WF: For another off-topic question, would you like to revisit the mainstream DC Universe again in the future? Do you plan to continue with on your independent work during your The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold stint (ie: such as your current project with Greg Rucka)?
RB: I love comics. This is what I do and what I’ll continue to do until I can no longer hold a pencil. I am so fortunate to have been able to make a living doing this. When I was a kid, and decided this was the career I wanted, there were all kinds on comics on the stands: super heroes, westerns, crime, science fiction, war, adventure, horror, funny animals,etc. I wanted to have a chance to draw them all. Now, we’re over run with super heroes, but things are gradually changing. There’s more acceptance of other genres and that’s good for the industry. Greg and I are talking about a number of things to collaborate on. Chris Mills and I have a sequel to our Gravedigger comic of a few years ago nearing completion. I’m currently working on updating a character for Archie Comics that is some of the most fun I’ve ever had professionally. And there are a few things in the works that I’m writing and drawing. I can’t imagine not doing it.
WF: To tie this back on topic, how would you compare your work here on The All-New to your past animated work? Is it even fair to compare? Are you glad to be back, so to speak?
RB: If I compare the new stuff to the old stuff, I would hope it’s better. It’s been 20 years since we launched Batman Adventures. In that time I hope I’ve learned more about telling stories with pictures and how to improve my work. I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to learn all I can about this wonderful medium and I find that the more I learn, the less I seem to know. If I ever feel like I’ve learned all there is, it’ll be time to stop.
WF: The first issue of The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold hits on Wednesday, November 10th, 2010. Care to give readers one final tease as to why they should run out and scoop up this new title?
RB: I hope readers will enjoy the new book. I can promise we’ll do our best to give them their money’s worth and hopefully a good read. Let us know how you feel about the book, good or bad. Constructive criticism is always welcome and, for the record, “This sucks!” is not constructive criticism. Think about why you like or don’t like something and construct an informed opinion. You’ll be taken much more seriously.
Thanks to Rick Burchett for taking the time to participate in this Q & A!
The All-New Batman: The Brave and The Bold #1 hits shelves on Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 with a cover price of $2.99US. Further details on this issue can be found here. Continue to the Batman: The Brave and The Bold subsite here at The World’s Finest for more details on both the animated series and inspired comic title. Stay tuned for continued Batman: The Brave and The Bold updates here at The World’s Finest.
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