Writer Fabian Nicieza, (current writer of Red Robin) talks about his participation in this project. Well, aside from the fact that he wrote three out of this eight one-shots, he’s also the man DC entrusted to design this whole ‘The Road Home’ thing. So if you want to know something about this project, who do you think is the right man to ask other than him?
Now, let’s hear it from the man himself:
'Road Home' titles seem to be exploring Bruce's return and the impact that he has on the lives of the characters
Fabian: Yes, but it's more than that, too. The way it's working out is that it's a continuing story told in self-contained single issues. There is an absolute running through line in the books. There's two running through lines, really. One of which is Bruce Wayne's return and how he is evaluating the current status quo of the individual characters that are involved in the one-shots, as well as gauging the role those characters may or may not play in his larger plans, which is "Batman, Inc." The majority of the characters he is evaluating don't even know that he's returned. Some of them find out during the course of their individual one-shots; some of them don't learn yet at all. It depended on how each individual story worked out, and that's part of the self-contained aspect of the issues. Each issue has its own story to tell that's part of what these characters do during their evaluations.
The second running through line in all the books - which is actually picking up cleanly off a running subplot that's been going on in the Bat-family for a year now - is Vicki Vale's knowledge of the secret identities of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake. She has knowledge of this, but she doesn't technically have proof. She can't print a story until she has proof, so she's trying to find proof. That running subplot is picked up on to a lesser or a greater extent in the individual one-shots. By the later chapters in the event, it takes on a greater focus.
About him writing three out of eight of this one-shots
Fabian: Originally, I was only going to write one of the one-shots, two at most, but I lobbied to be able to write "Red Robin." Mike (Martz) wanted me to write the first "chapter" and the last one, which were the "Batman and Robin" and "Ra's al Ghul" one-shots, but I really whined a lot that I didn't really want anyone else writing the "Red Robin."
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I even tried to see if Chris Yost had a free minute so we could co-write it. I was trying to get my fingers into that one, no matter what. I understand that having me write three of them are more than most readers, retailers and DC sales guys would prefer, but the only other option would have involved whoever else was chosen to write "Red Robin" dying in a tragic brake-line cutting accident before they could have finished their script. So, lots of whining, maybe an implied threat to the life of an innocent writer and several compromising pictures later, Mike acquiesced and let me write "Red Robin."
What can he say about Bruce's reaction to Damian being Robin and his thoughts on how Dick has been shepherding him?
Without giving too much away, Bruce's narrative in the story is about him coming to a sense of conclusion about how he feels about watching them in action. I don't want to give too much away about how he feels, because that's the emotional flow of the story, but I can say that you can imagine he might feel tremendous pride at what Dick has been able to accomplish, and possibly even a little bit of insecurity or jealousy that maybe it's been done far more easily than Bruce expected.
His approach to writing Dick and Damian as Batman and Robin
I approach Damian as who he is now: longing to be Robin. As far as Dick is concerned, he's my favorite character in comics and has been since I was about six or seven years old. I'm the wrong guy to ask, because in my opinion he should be the leader of the free DC Universe. The fact that he was able to assume the role of Batman - although he wasn't necessarily thrilled about it - and comfortably make it his own so quickly is a testament to the character. It's enjoyable for me as a reader to see other writers get it and have him smoothly assuming a leadership role in the Justice League with all the other characters accepting it, or to see writers understand how he would interact with Commissioner Gordon and handle Gotham City cops in a way that is so different than how Bruce does it. The writers who understand Dick Grayson, and I honestly don't think there are that many of us, have clearly had fun writing him, but they've enabled a whole lot of readers who didn't understand the character to see him shine in a new light.
Source(s): CBR, DC
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