James Rose On DC: Batman From The Folio Society

Happy 85th Birthday Dark Knight Detective

Tripwire just spoke to Folio Society Head Of Editorial James Rose about their book DC: Batman…

TRIPWIRE: With a history that spans 85 years, how tricky was it to choose the works reprinted in DC: Batman?

JAMES ROSE: It was incredibly difficult – there are simply too many good stories to fit into a 350pp selection. We started with my own longlist which I shared with Jenette Kahn who of course had her own list and gradually it was whittled down to the selection you see before you. We decided to include at least one fantastic story from each decade of the twentieth century but to stop at the turn of the millennium, we simply had too much already!

TW: Jenette Kahn wrote the introduction for the DC: Golden Age book so what insights does she offer with her introduction here?

JR: Jenette’s great ability is being able to see the whole picture, but also examine each comic we included – and some we didn’t have room for. She’s brilliant on highlighting Batman’s duality. The dual themes of good and bad, light and dark, even sanity and madness.

TW: How important was it to create a book that encompassed his entire comic canon?

JR: We would have loved to include far more than we already have, but without producing a massive book that was far too big to read we had to stop somewhere. The millennium seemed a neat place to take a pause. Perhaps it means there’s an opportunity for a second volume someday.

TW: Why is it that characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman continue to engage with audiences both in comics and on the big and small screen?

JR: I strongly believe they remain relevant and speak to each new generation because firstly the characters evolve and secondly because their themes are timeless. From Homer and Shakespeare right through to the creators of each Super Hero, these authors are dealing with love and hate, jealousy and anger, power and politics. While these remain a part of human existence, the Super Hero will remain a part of our lives.

TW: Which Batman work for you is the most impressive representation of the Dark Knight?

JR: It’s so difficult to choose – honestly. I love the pre-1954 Comics Code Batman who was free to deal with villains in his own way – see Detective Comics #27 (his debut appearance) for how to throw a baddie from a rooftop! But for me the best is Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. It’s brutal and unrelenting, but Batman comes across as so human in it, so vulnerable. And Dave Mazzucchelli’s artwork is amazing.

TW: So how did you decide on the format of the book?

JR: We knew from the very beginning that we wanted to give people the very first printing of each comic – shown exactly as it would have looked when it first hit the newsstands – and for that we needed a volume a little bigger than comic size that would accommodate the varying formats from the Golden Age to the 1990s. We also wanted to give the pages a black border to make them really pop out and force you to focus on each panel.

TW: What challenges did scanning Batman#1 have in its entirety ?

JR: Luckily for us the kind team at DC had a copy in their archive – I had worried that getting an original copy that we could open and scan was going to be tricky. Following our specifications the fantastic archivists scanned each and every page, including the original ads and second features. The biggest challenge was getting the paper right. We had to try and match the original newsprint paper – we need every aspect to be just right and that means even the feel of the comic in your hands.

TW: Folio has created a number of other lavish books so what have you learnt from creating books of this kind?

JR: Staying true to your content is paramount. It doesn’t matter if it’s an 85-year-old comic or a brand new book, what we showcase is the best-loved literature from around the world and the best way to present that is to let the words and the images speak for themselves. Having a respect for your source material will always give the best results.

DC: Batman is out now from the Folio Society

https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/dc-batman.html