#1 Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven
Ya empiezan las series porst-Crisis 
PALMIOTTI & GRAY ON THE BATTLE FOR BLUDHAVEN
Though a relative pup of a metropolis as compared to DC’s other storied fictional cities, Bludhaven – the soon-to-be former stomping ground of Nightwing and Robin – is about to change, and take on major importance in the post-Infinite Crisis, "One Year Later" DC Universe.
How will it change? Why will it become so important? The writers of the April-debuting, twice-monthly, six-issue limited series Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven (with art by Dan Jurgens) have some crazy notion that readers should read about these developments in the pages of Infinite Crisis and the limited series first itself instead of online. We tried to talk them out if it, but they were adamant.
But we did sit down for a brief conversation with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti to talk about what could be revealed now, and they make one thing very clear - something big is about to go down in Bludhaven…
Newsarama: Okay, guys, so far all we know about The Battle for Bludhaven is what the April solicitation detailed, and what Dan Didio told us last month, which is the Secret Society of Supervillains drop in on Bludhaven in Infinite Crisis and Battle for Bludhaven deals with the aftermath of that attack...
What more can you tell us about the series?
Justin Gray: Right now we can’t say too much. Sorry, you’re going to get the ambiguous Chinese fortune cookie answers, but there will be a number of surprises, revelations, and returns that it would be an absolute shame to reveal this early on. Let’s just say that Bludhaven is vastly different by comparison to what it was prior to Infinite Crisis. I think there will be a lot of head scratching and “WTF” moments as the story unravels. This isn’t going to be the kind of book that people might imagine.
Jimmy Palmiotti: The best thing to happen for this book is not to let too much out of the bag so early, it makes the experience more fun if it’s handled that way. There is going to be a lot of crazy stuff for the fans to talk about after each issue and we prefer it that way…after the book is read.
NRAMA: Well, we got you for the next few minutes, so we’re going to ask you some questions anyway …like who's battling for Bludhaven? Why? And what are the stakes?
GRAY: There are several groups some inside and some outside of Bludhaven. There will be familiar costumes with unfamiliar people wearing them. There will be unfamiliar costumes with familiar people wearing them. As to the stakes? What exactly is so important about Bludhaven? That is part of the overall mystery. The cover to issue #1 is a spoiler unto itself.
PALMIOTTI: This series offers us a number of challenges. It is closely tied with everything going on in the books around it, but while it is out, it will become the nexus for everything else happening in the DC Universe. These are tough questions to answer because it involves us exposing a ton of things happening in the DCU , and we have to be careful not to do that.
Let’s just say that Bludhaven is being fought over and many battlegrounds develop, but in the end, they are all jockeying for the same thing. What that thing is, we can’t say…yet.
NRAMA: Was this something you guys came up with? Were you approached by Dan and Geoff [Johns] and told about this “thing” and asked to build a story from it?
GRAY: We were approached with the understanding that the Battle for Bludhaven has widespread ramifications in the DCU. We had several discussions with Dan and Tom [editor Tom Palmer Jr.] about how the series should play out to make certain we hit all of the plot points that are important showing the ramifications of Infinite Crisis. With the major plot elements in place, we were able to go in and creatively develop ideas and ways to propel the story along at a dizzying pace.
PALMIOTTI: Dan and Tom are our directors on this all the way. We were given the who, what, and where and we had to figure out how to get everything and everyone where they should be and create an exciting story and mini-series around it. There are characters and events that we added to bring the level of insanity up a few notches and the guys have been very generous with what they are allowing us to do.
NRAMA: For those junior DC detectives out there, can you say if whatever everyone is jockeying over has been foreshadowed and hinted at in this past? Are there any clues out there as to why Bludhaven will become so important, or is it a new element readers will discover?
GRAY: Nice try at rephrasing the same question.
NRAMA: Noticed that did you?
GRAY: We can’t say. Sorry, but there are so many different elements holding this story together that if we start pulling pieces out we’ll loose all the fun stuff. You see Major Victory, Silent Majority, and Lady Liberty on the cover, but they’re just the beginning of the cast of heroes and villains you’ll meet.
It’s going to be a big, crazy, action-packed, mystery, adventure, sci-fi and ‘explodo’ comic book with a bunch of holy s*** moments for longtime DC fans as well.
NRAMA: “Explodo”..?
PALMIOTTI: I will say this, you junior DC detectives better get some sleep the night before the book hits…your going to need all your skills sharpened to figure out what is going to go down in this series.
Are there really junior DC detectives? Maybe we should make a book about them. I can see it now…THE J.D.C.: a small group of comic fans/detectives cannot wait till the actual books arrive in stores and break into the DC offices and steal all the editors phone and email lists and start blackmailing the talent till they spill all they know about each book. I think maybe this is better suited to Evan Dorkin’s particular genius…[laughs]
NRAMA: Forging ahead, from the teases and info out there about One Year Later, we know a new Nightwing will be based in New York City and Robin will return to Gotham. Would it safe to assume the battle has something to do with a power vacuum that exists because of their absences?
GRAY: There’s no power vacuum. The United States Government is in control and there are at least three other groups challenging that fact on an hourly basis. As you see on the cover the government has its own super team and they’ll be responsible for keeping people out of Bludhaven.
At least they try to.
NRAMA: Why is Bludhaven ground that needs to be battled over? Does it have a strategic importance in regards to the balance of power in the DC Universe?
GRAY: You could say that.
PALMIOTTI: The Battle for Bludhaven is the key to the balance of many things…
GRAY: Snatch the pebble from my hand.
NRAMA: The approach of the Countdown titles and Crisis tie-ins has been to create conflicts and situations that have larger ramifications in terms of the DCU status quo. Nearly everything seems to be a piece of a larger puzzle.
Day of Vengeance changed the status quo of magic in the DCU, Villains United the balance of power in the villain community, Rann-Thanagar War the galactic DCU, etc... Does Battle deal with one particular corner of, or aspect of the DCU, and will it have major implications in regards to the future of the DCU?
GRAY: The approach we’re taking is to first make the mini-series as contained and entertaining as possible, while at the same time using certain elements of it to set up new directions for future stories to be told. There are ramifications from this story that will be felt throughout the DCU.
PALMIOTTI: Every aspect of this mini-series ties into the DC Universe before, during, and after this series. It’s a major key to a bigger picture and not only changes some characters lives but is also a launching pad for a number of other events. There are things in this series that set up a lot of future DC universe events.
Catch-up on these previous ONE YEAR LATER Features:
<LI>ION Preview
<LI>Ron Marz on ION
<LI>Gail Simone on Birds of Prey</I>
<LI>Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns on Superman
<LI>Kurt Busiek on Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis
<LI>Greg Rucka on Supergirl
<LI>Mark Waid on Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes
<LI>Brad Meltzer on Justice League of America
<LI>Judd Winick on Green Arrow
<LI>Judd Winick on The Outsiders
<LI>Firestorm's New Dudes with Jamal Igle</I>
<LI>Keith Giffen on Blue Beetle
<LI>Cully Hamner on Blue Beetle
<LI>Bill Willingham on Shadowpact Ongoing
<LI>Simonson & Chaykin on Hawkgirl
<LI>Bruce Jones on Nightwing
<LI>Will Pfeifer on Catwoman
<LI>Adam Beechen on Robin
<LI>Greg Rucka on Checkmate
<LI>Dan DiDio on Post-Crisis/OYL Changes 2
<LI>Dan DiDio on Post-Crisis/OYL Changes
Newsarama 
Though a relative pup of a metropolis as compared to DC’s other storied fictional cities, Bludhaven – the soon-to-be former stomping ground of Nightwing and Robin – is about to change, and take on major importance in the post-Infinite Crisis, "One Year Later" DC Universe.
How will it change? Why will it become so important? The writers of the April-debuting, twice-monthly, six-issue limited series Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven (with art by Dan Jurgens) have some crazy notion that readers should read about these developments in the pages of Infinite Crisis and the limited series first itself instead of online. We tried to talk them out if it, but they were adamant.
But we did sit down for a brief conversation with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti to talk about what could be revealed now, and they make one thing very clear - something big is about to go down in Bludhaven…
Newsarama: Okay, guys, so far all we know about The Battle for Bludhaven is what the April solicitation detailed, and what Dan Didio told us last month, which is the Secret Society of Supervillains drop in on Bludhaven in Infinite Crisis and Battle for Bludhaven deals with the aftermath of that attack...
What more can you tell us about the series?
Justin Gray: Right now we can’t say too much. Sorry, you’re going to get the ambiguous Chinese fortune cookie answers, but there will be a number of surprises, revelations, and returns that it would be an absolute shame to reveal this early on. Let’s just say that Bludhaven is vastly different by comparison to what it was prior to Infinite Crisis. I think there will be a lot of head scratching and “WTF” moments as the story unravels. This isn’t going to be the kind of book that people might imagine.
Jimmy Palmiotti: The best thing to happen for this book is not to let too much out of the bag so early, it makes the experience more fun if it’s handled that way. There is going to be a lot of crazy stuff for the fans to talk about after each issue and we prefer it that way…after the book is read.
NRAMA: Well, we got you for the next few minutes, so we’re going to ask you some questions anyway …like who's battling for Bludhaven? Why? And what are the stakes?
GRAY: There are several groups some inside and some outside of Bludhaven. There will be familiar costumes with unfamiliar people wearing them. There will be unfamiliar costumes with familiar people wearing them. As to the stakes? What exactly is so important about Bludhaven? That is part of the overall mystery. The cover to issue #1 is a spoiler unto itself.
PALMIOTTI: This series offers us a number of challenges. It is closely tied with everything going on in the books around it, but while it is out, it will become the nexus for everything else happening in the DC Universe. These are tough questions to answer because it involves us exposing a ton of things happening in the DCU , and we have to be careful not to do that.
Let’s just say that Bludhaven is being fought over and many battlegrounds develop, but in the end, they are all jockeying for the same thing. What that thing is, we can’t say…yet.
NRAMA: Was this something you guys came up with? Were you approached by Dan and Geoff [Johns] and told about this “thing” and asked to build a story from it?
GRAY: We were approached with the understanding that the Battle for Bludhaven has widespread ramifications in the DCU. We had several discussions with Dan and Tom [editor Tom Palmer Jr.] about how the series should play out to make certain we hit all of the plot points that are important showing the ramifications of Infinite Crisis. With the major plot elements in place, we were able to go in and creatively develop ideas and ways to propel the story along at a dizzying pace.
PALMIOTTI: Dan and Tom are our directors on this all the way. We were given the who, what, and where and we had to figure out how to get everything and everyone where they should be and create an exciting story and mini-series around it. There are characters and events that we added to bring the level of insanity up a few notches and the guys have been very generous with what they are allowing us to do.
NRAMA: For those junior DC detectives out there, can you say if whatever everyone is jockeying over has been foreshadowed and hinted at in this past? Are there any clues out there as to why Bludhaven will become so important, or is it a new element readers will discover?
GRAY: Nice try at rephrasing the same question.
NRAMA: Noticed that did you?
GRAY: We can’t say. Sorry, but there are so many different elements holding this story together that if we start pulling pieces out we’ll loose all the fun stuff. You see Major Victory, Silent Majority, and Lady Liberty on the cover, but they’re just the beginning of the cast of heroes and villains you’ll meet.
It’s going to be a big, crazy, action-packed, mystery, adventure, sci-fi and ‘explodo’ comic book with a bunch of holy s*** moments for longtime DC fans as well.
NRAMA: “Explodo”..?
PALMIOTTI: I will say this, you junior DC detectives better get some sleep the night before the book hits…your going to need all your skills sharpened to figure out what is going to go down in this series.
Are there really junior DC detectives? Maybe we should make a book about them. I can see it now…THE J.D.C.: a small group of comic fans/detectives cannot wait till the actual books arrive in stores and break into the DC offices and steal all the editors phone and email lists and start blackmailing the talent till they spill all they know about each book. I think maybe this is better suited to Evan Dorkin’s particular genius…[laughs]
NRAMA: Forging ahead, from the teases and info out there about One Year Later, we know a new Nightwing will be based in New York City and Robin will return to Gotham. Would it safe to assume the battle has something to do with a power vacuum that exists because of their absences?
GRAY: There’s no power vacuum. The United States Government is in control and there are at least three other groups challenging that fact on an hourly basis. As you see on the cover the government has its own super team and they’ll be responsible for keeping people out of Bludhaven.
At least they try to.
NRAMA: Why is Bludhaven ground that needs to be battled over? Does it have a strategic importance in regards to the balance of power in the DC Universe?
GRAY: You could say that.
PALMIOTTI: The Battle for Bludhaven is the key to the balance of many things…
GRAY: Snatch the pebble from my hand.
NRAMA: The approach of the Countdown titles and Crisis tie-ins has been to create conflicts and situations that have larger ramifications in terms of the DCU status quo. Nearly everything seems to be a piece of a larger puzzle.
Day of Vengeance changed the status quo of magic in the DCU, Villains United the balance of power in the villain community, Rann-Thanagar War the galactic DCU, etc... Does Battle deal with one particular corner of, or aspect of the DCU, and will it have major implications in regards to the future of the DCU?
GRAY: The approach we’re taking is to first make the mini-series as contained and entertaining as possible, while at the same time using certain elements of it to set up new directions for future stories to be told. There are ramifications from this story that will be felt throughout the DCU.
PALMIOTTI: Every aspect of this mini-series ties into the DC Universe before, during, and after this series. It’s a major key to a bigger picture and not only changes some characters lives but is also a launching pad for a number of other events. There are things in this series that set up a lot of future DC universe events.
Catch-up on these previous ONE YEAR LATER Features:
<LI>ION Preview
<LI>Ron Marz on ION
<LI>Gail Simone on Birds of Prey</I>
<LI>Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns on Superman
<LI>Kurt Busiek on Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis
<LI>Greg Rucka on Supergirl
<LI>Mark Waid on Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes
<LI>Brad Meltzer on Justice League of America
<LI>Judd Winick on Green Arrow
<LI>Judd Winick on The Outsiders
<LI>Firestorm's New Dudes with Jamal Igle</I>
<LI>Keith Giffen on Blue Beetle
<LI>Cully Hamner on Blue Beetle
<LI>Bill Willingham on Shadowpact Ongoing
<LI>Simonson & Chaykin on Hawkgirl
<LI>Bruce Jones on Nightwing
<LI>Will Pfeifer on Catwoman
<LI>Adam Beechen on Robin
<LI>Greg Rucka on Checkmate
<LI>Dan DiDio on Post-Crisis/OYL Changes 2
<LI>Dan DiDio on Post-Crisis/OYL Changes
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