Scott Snyder on Batman: The Court of Owls - 15 Years Later

Light the Bat-Signal, friends. Scott Snyder is back on the podcast, reflecting on Batman: The Court of Owls and how it served as a massive lesson in character. Both on and off the page.

Fifteen years ago, a roar rushed through every local comic book shop. Cries of blasphemy rattled over the racks and rippled atop the longboxes. DC Comics rebooted every single one of their titles with a new number one, calling it The New 52, and readers were as anxious about it as they were willing to buy every single title. It was a linewide reset, and it felt as radical as comics could get for new readers, and even gave the old heads some pause.

Batman (Vol. 2) #1 arrived on September 21st, 2011. It was written by Scott Snyder, penciled by Greg Capullo, inked by Jonathan Glapion, colored by FCO Plascencia, and lettered by Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt. Today it’s considered a modern classic, having just gotten the Compact Comics $9.99 seal of approval. Fifteen years ago, however, it was anything but a sure thing, especially from Scott Snyder’s perspective.

On this hallowed Batman Day, we’re deeply pleased to chat with Scott Snyder about this extreme moment in time. We discuss the panic he felt when he first got the title, the mission he set for himself, and the battle he fought to stay on target with his new partner-in-comics, Greg Capullo.

Is Batman the ultimate detective? Or can he screw up royally, living decades in ignorance while the diabolical Court of Owls controls his streets? Fighting for a fallible Bruce Wayne nearly got him ripped off the book, but his passion for growth-mindset superheroes is what’s rocketing Absolute Batman to the top of the bestseller charts today.

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