GKO: MADHOUSE
Here you will find our rambalings on all area's of Batman, interviews and speical features!
Newsarama: Howard, what's the idea behind this one-shot?
Howard Chaykin: It's about money. One of the problems, in describing this, is that this job is three-and-a-half or four years old. And it was inspired by events that were happening four or five years ago, before the empire collapsed.
It's about how money impacts on the lives of Bruce Wayne and Batman, and Selina Kyle and Catwoman. And ultimately, how their lives are brought to an intersection in this regard by an action taken by the Cavalier.
It's a fun romp. It takes place in a Gotham of my creation. And it features Bruce and Selina almost as much as it features Batman and Catwoman.
Nrama: What's your version of The Cavalier like?
Chaykin: He's very much the old-school Cavalier -- a guy who is part of Bruce Wayne's social set, who supports his presence in that social set through a life of crime.
Nrama: What is it about The Cavalier that attracted you to him?
Chaykin: I loved the character when I was a kid. I was a Golden Age collector in my boyhood, back in the day when you could actually afford to be a Golden Age collector. And I loved the character.
As I recall, the character was inspired by a brand of cigarettes called Cavaliers, which were one of the sponsors of a number of quiz shows back in the 1950s, which I remember watching as a little boy. And I love the character. I'm a huge fan of the Pandro S. Berman/Gene Kelly Three Musketeers. And I loved the idea of a guy who basically supports his jetset lifestyle through criminal behavior.
He doesn't know Bruce Wayne's identity or Selina's identity, but his identity's an open book, yet he insists on maintaining this guise.
Nrama: Where did the idea come from? Did you just want to do a Cavalier story because you were such a fan?
Chaykin: No, the Cavalier was the villain I opted for after-the-fact, because I needed a villain who was motivated by theft and larceny as opposed to psychopathia. Many of Batman's villains are obviously psychopaths, going from the Joker to the Riddler -- these guys are crazy as a shithouse rat.
But the Cavalier's motivation, as criminal as it may be, isn't psychotic. It's more sociopathic. So he was an addition to the original premise.
What got us started was the question, how does Bruce Wayne's money impact on his alternate life as Batman. That's what it's about to a profound extent. It's the way he can afford to fight crime. You or I could not afford the lifestyle that Bruce Wayne has, which makes Batman possible.
Check out the entire interview here.
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LISTEN TO THIS WEEKS PODCAST ONLINE COVERING NEWS, REVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS WITH GUESTS FROM ALL BATMAN INDUSTRIES!
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This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. 20th Sept to 3rd Oct, including Batman: Knightfall Pt10.
GKO: PODCAST #41
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This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 30th to Sept 12th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt8.
GKO: PODCAST #39
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 23rd to Aug 29th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt7.
GKO: PODCAST #38
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 9th to Aug 22nd, including Batman: Knightfall Pt6.
GKO: PODCAST #37
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. Aug 2nd to Aug 8th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt5.
GKO: PODCAST #36
This week we have a new host and review Batman: Under the Red Hood along with all the news from the week.
GKO: PODCAST #35
This is our SDCC '10 coverage special covering all the news from July 19th to July 25th.
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This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 12th to July 18th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt2.
GKO: PODCAST #33
This week we cover the usual news in the Batman Universe. July 5th to July 11th, including Batman: Knightfall Pt1.
GKO: PODCAST #24
This week we interview with artist Lee Garbett to talk about his current run on Batgirl
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