Talking to Newsarama, Batman writer Scott Snyder has revealed a ton of new details about his highly anticipated "Death of the Family" story arc with artist Greg Capullo, kicking off in this October's Batman #13. While the scale of the return of The Joker is far larger than previously imagined, it will be fairly self contained in a similar style to "Night of the Owls" which is sure to come as good news to cash strapped comic book readers. Below are just a few brief excerpts from their chat, so be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the page in order to read the interview in full.
On The New Look Of The Joker Upon His Return:
He really is going to, obviously, have a new look. At the same time, we want it to echo his iconic look. So it's Joker in a much more horror movie fashion. But, without giving too much away, you will see the iconic face and the grin, and he might look a little bit different and scarier. But you'll find that he's still himself at his core. And he's really here in his blood-stained clothes going to work.
On The Joker's Plan To Take Down Batman And The Rest Of The Bat-Family:
A year ago, Joker decided, I'm going to walk away from Gotham, I'm going to plan my revenge, and I'm going to come back in a year and bring it all back. So this is what he's been planning to do for a long time. And all of those things are set in motion. Batman is going to be 100 percent self-contained, like it was with "Night of the Owls." You won't have to read anything else to understand the story happening in Batman, at all. I promise you that. But because the story is so big, and because Joker is attacking all those members of the Bat-family, essentially, to prove this point that he's come back to Gotham to prove and to expose this secret that he has, you will see Joker attack Nightwing in Nightwing. And you'll see him come after Batgirl in Batgirl. And you'll see him go after Damian in Batman and Robin. And Tim, even, in Teen Titans. And Jason in Red Hood [and the Outlaws].
On The Relationship Between Batman And The Joker In "The New 52":
This storyline is predicated on the notion that the stuff that happened with the Joker in the past did happen. So Joker will be referencing things that happened in the past. That said, you won't have to have read them to be able to follow this story at all. They will be explained or recounted in ways where this will be completely self-standing. I would never require you to go back and read stories from years ago to understand what was happening in mine. But the history of their relationship, like the Joker being his greatest enemy and the terrible things he's done to him and done to Jason and the other members of the Bat-family are all part of this. They fuel this storyline.
On How This Story Differs To Those Told In The Past:
It's definitely bigger in magnitude, in terms of the story. I mean, for better or worse, I feel so lucky to be able to write Batman all the time, and I feel like you get one chance to do it, so you've got to swing for the fence every time you get to work with your favorite material. With this, Joker is my favorite villain, so I figure that if you're going to use him, you've got to use him like you'll never get a chance to use him again. So it's clearly bigger in magnitude than any story he's had in awhile — maybe ever, honestly. I'd have to look back. But the fact that he's in five big issues of Batman, and then he's in the other Bat-books as he attacks those members of the family, all of it adds up to a massive, massive Joker story. And in that way, it's also a game-changer of a Joker story, you know? It really cuts to the core of who the Joker is, who Batman is in his mind and in relation to him, and really, who the Joker is to Batman too, in Bruce's psychology.
On Which Books The Joker Storyline Will Tie-In To This October:
We are several months out from when it's going to tie into the other Bat-books, so the details of that are still being ironed out. But I can definitely tell you that it's going to be in Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Suicide Squad with Harley, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and Teen Titans for Tim. And I can tell you that right now, it looks like he's going to make an appearance in Catwoman also. I don't want to say that other comics might not be a part of that, because we're still talking about that stuff, and about when it's all going to hit.