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  Batman:
Dead End
Suspended Animation's Mark Allen
tracked down the filmmaker at Comic Con
Sandy
Collora recently showcased his own short-film version of Batman, at last
weekend's Comic-Con. Now, he stands amazed at the response by the online comics
community, some of whom are calling his work the greatest on-screen
representation of Batman, ever. Read on, to discover why he made it, who
influenced him, and what he hopes will come of his work. This review was
conducted on Monday, July 21st, by
Mark Allen. Click on the images above to view
closeups.
What motivated the making of this film? I mean, are you
a long-time Batman fan?
Yeah, just a huge fan of all things The Dark Knight, and a comic book fan in
general, of the entire genre. It was a breath of fresh air in between directing
commercials, which usually are not as exciting, or as dark. So, I decided to
have a little fun and make a little short film, and I was really happy with the
way it turned out.
Are there any creators who's work on the characters (of Batman and the Joker)
specifically inspired you?
Sure, Alex Ross. I think he's a tremendous talent and I've been a big fan of his
work for a long time. Also Simon Bisely and Frank Miller are also two artists
that have drawn Batman that have also been very influential to me. But I would
have to say, mostly, Alex Ross. I like the way that he incorporates the realism
into the characters; you know, the costumes creasing, and binding and so forth.
They actually look like guys in masks. His painting style is just great. Simon
Bisely more for his power and his intensity to Batman. His incredibly striking
poses and feel and his color palette. Frank Miller just for the whole darkness
of it all. I really like the muted tones of The Dark Knight Returns and some of
his black and white work is really good, too. The shadowy stuff, you know, I
love Sin City, and I'm a big fan of Ronin, and all that kind of stuff. So, you
know, it came from a lot of different places, but mostly from Alex Ross.
Do you feel this would be a good template for film makers to use in the next
full-length film?
Of course, that's my film. I mean, my film is my statement about how I think
Batman should look and feel. But, I'm a big fan of Christopher Knowland, I love
his work, I think he's a tremendous director, and I'm really looking forward to
seeing what he does with the next film.
Has the buzz from this film brought you any attention from Warner's, as far as
being a part of the next Batman film?
No, I have not heard from Warner Brothers, yet, or Fox, but it's only been a
couple of days. I'm sure I'll be hearing from their legal department at some
point, but as to what, I'm not exactly sure, because I'm not selling the DVD,
I'm not selling the tape. I just brought a few of them to Comicon to give out to
the press and industry people and that's it, so I'm not generating any revenue
from the film, I'm not making any income. I made the film with all due respect
to D.C. and Warner and Fox and their characters, and I sincerely hope they look
at it that way. I'd like to work with all those guys.
So, this film brought a bigger splash than you expected?
As you can see on the internet, the buzz has been absolutely overwhelming, it's
more than I ever expected, and I expect a lot. I always go into things very
energetically, and with a lot of high expectations, but this weekend at con was
the best weekend of my life. Just to feel the tremendous outpouring of love and
camaraderie and respect from all the fans, it just made my weekend. It was
fantastic.
Great. I appreciate your taking the time to answer some questions.
That's not a problem, at all. |
