CBR have another interview with artist Lee Bermejo, with some artist sketches in progress.

CBR: And what about Batman? What's your take on him?

Lee Bermejo: Batman is like a force of nature in this story. I tried to play him even darker and more mysterious than I usually do, simply because Brian’s story required that he be more a part of the city itself. He’s less of a complete presence, I guess you could say. He’s the one guy everybody was really waiting to see, and when he finally shows up, I was wary of showing too much of him or making him become too “relatable.” Hopefully, this way he appears to the reader more like he would appear to Gotham’s underworld.

CBR: What is your relationship with Azzarello in terms of feedback and moving a project from concept to completion?

LB: Brian and I talk fairly often, probably more because we’ve developed a kind of working relationship over the years where sometimes the best way to get a feel for a particular scene is to chat for a bit. This book was no exception, as there were quite a few scenes that needed to be handled carefully. He puts a lot of trust in all the artists that work with him.

His scripts are extremely open. Azz’s dialogue drives everything. As an artist, it’s a great chance to really make these characters act in the way you see fit. The only time we run into problems is when I do something that he or Will Dennis, our fearless editor, feel is too divergent to the overall story.

CBR: Two-Face, Riddler, Killer Croc, Penguin, Harley Quinn are all in the book too. Any favorites to illustrate from that motley crew?

LB: Man, I really loved drawing Two-Face. He was a blast. It took a lot of control because he is such an easy character to do over the top. I think he requires a lot of subtlety, especially the way he’s portrayed here. I also got a kick out of drawing Harley just because visually it was fun to play around with her outfits. As a character, she has such a playful nature, but in this book she’s portrayed as deadly and silent. I had to play up her personality more in her acting and wardrobe. In the end, even Riddler was fun. Man, I really disliked that character until Brian told me his idea for the guy. All in all, it was a real pleasure to draw everyone in this book. I love the Batman universe so much and to get to play in it like we did is just a fantastic experience. Major props to the folks at DC for giving us the freedom to do the things we did here.