I was writing a script about the Joker menacing a regular person who had strayed into his path, and I needed to give him a gang of henchmen to work with him. The idea occurred to me, let's put in a female henchperson, because that seemed like a fun variation on the regular big thug guys.
Batman is dark and moody and spooky and, in some cases, methodical.
One Thanksgiving weekend, I had a lost weekend at a friend's place with 'Grand Theft Auto.'
We had established Harley Quinn as an accomplice to the Joker who was also crushing on him and found herself in the middle of this weird relationship being at the beck and call of his every whim. We wanted to stretch her and make her a stronger character, so to have her leave him and go off on her own was a story I wanted to tell for a while.
The Joker is a tremendous vehicle for talented actors. Cesar Romero's was a bubbly, lunatic criminal. Nicholson did him as a vain, preening manipulator. Heath's performance of the Joker was remarkable, too. His was a low-simmering crazy street clown. Joker can be played all these ways, and they're all true.
Mr. Freeze is motivated by different things. He doesn't really have that much of an axe to grind with Batman. Batman is an irritation and an impediment to him, not an enemy that he hates. He doesn't have the hatred that the Joker has for Batman.
Wonder Woman is out there very much defending the right and being strong and being a positive role model.
If everybody's a winner, nobody has to try very hard.
If we made the 'Batman' games more realistic, you'd have to be Bruce Wayne for half the game, counting his money and dating supermodels.
Batman doesn't use a gun. When Bruce Wayne thinks he had to resort to a street thug's level to defend himself and the girl he was rescuing, he decides he can't be Batman anymore.
You can have villains like the Penguin, who strut around in a tuxedo with an umbrella, and Poison Ivy and all of the fantastic stuff she does, but unless there's a bit of a human in there, and unless there's a credible threat, then Batman himself doesn't work.
My story is just my story, and it's not nearly as traumatic as some.
Most female characters have either been the temptress - like a Betty Boop type - or the victim - like an Olive Oil type.
Kids love the Hulk, but they're not really sure: 'Is he a monster or is he a hero?'
'Jingle Belle' spins out of my love for just sitting down and reading a good, fun Sunday morning comic strip panel.
I felt that, with 'Zatanna,' I had a chance to do a story about a strong, driven woman.
There was a time I was willing to be a clown for people who I felt were the perfect person for me.
Creativity, for a lot of young people, is a coping mechanism. It's the only place they feel comfortable. It's the only time they feel like they're being heard or can make a difference, is if they can go into a room and do a drawing or go to a garage and play a song or retreat to this world.
Batman is pretty much a self-trained guy. I think it would be fun to do a character like Superman or Captain Marvel or maybe Green Lantern, somebody who's got a completely different resource for fighting crime and fighting villains.
You have to remember, when someone hurts you, that you are so much more than what they took from you.
