Comic book extraordinaire Tom King didn’t mince words during the 85th Batman Anniversary panel at Baltimore Comic Con. The occasion might have celebrated The Dark Knight’s enduring legacy, but King—writer of about 100 issues of Batman—used the forum to make his creative allegiance clear, siding with the Caped Crusader’s Metropolis counterpart: Superman.
“I think writing Superman is more fun than writing Batman,” the CIA agent-turned-writer conceded at the event.
King’s support of Supes-stories over ones following Gotham’s brooding vigilante was surprising given the setting, but the opinion is sensible, especially when considering his influence on the upcoming slate of DCU projects; CEO James Gunn has name-dropped King’s books as key inspirations for his new cinematic universe, particularly with Millie Alcock’s upcoming Supergirl portrayal, which will directly adapt King’s critically acclaimed Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow arc, which follows the Superman relative.
King’s preference rings particularly significant in today’s landscape and reader consensus. Superman’s “Boy Scout” image and overwhelming power set have often faced criticism from creators and fans alike. With Superman’s pristine image and god-like abilities, the character has evolved into a polarizing figure. The alien hero’s inconsistent live-action portrayals are unhelpful, too, having done their fair share of dulling and muddying the Action Comics cover-boy’s appeal, especially when held up against more reliable Batman depictions.
Some see Superman’s near invulnerability as confinement. Compared to Batman, King, however, sees a refreshing open-world opportunity in the character. “With Superman, you’re like, ‘This takes place in space.’ There’s no limit,” he explained, “The problem [with] writing Batman is the locations are limited. You’re like, ‘Okay, this scene takes place in an alley. This scene takes place on a rooftop. This scene takes place… Oh crap, I ran out.’”
The panel wasn’t without flowers offered for Batman, though, with King eventually conceding “With Superman, you run out of villains a lot faster. Once you get to Toyman, you’re pretty much screwed. So with Batman, like, ‘Yeah I’m in this alley, but there’s also 15 different villains in this alley.’ And they’re cool and weird.”
Whether fans share King’s stance or not, it shouldn’t detract from their enjoyment or hype about his upcoming works. King, currently writing for Wonder Woman, recently alluded to setting his sights on delivering an estimated 100 issues of Wonder Woman, similar to his Batman experience.
Source: The PopVerse
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