After inviting readers into a bold new vision of Gotham City and the Batman mythos in the inaugural issue of Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham, acclaimed comic book creator Rafael Grampá doubles down on the stakes and new villains with the DC Black miniseries’ second issue. On sale beginning December 12, the series previously introduced the obsidian supervillain Crytoon with its first issue as Gotham falls into widespread moral and urban decay despite Batman’s best efforts. Though the Dark Knight defeated the crying clown after a harrowing chase through the city, the evil is only escalating in Gotham as two new villains in the Virgin and Moth-er surface with even more insidious plans.

With Bruce Wayne haunted by reopening old wounds linked directly to his parents’ murders, Jim Gordon takes point in the investigation as the body count grows around the city. This places the veteran lawman squarely in harm’s way as Batman uncovers a vast conspiracy with sinister implications as the threat these villains pose become even more personal to him than ever. While The Virgin presents a theologically unholy challenge for Batman, Moth-er unleashes a lethal swarm of moths on anyone who opposes them, with Gordon right in their sights.

In an exclusive interview with Popverse, including an extended preview of Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #2, Rafael Grampá reveals the childhood trauma and pop culture influences that inspired the villains debuting in the issue, explains the deeper themes that they bring to the story, and teases what readers can expect when Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #2 goes on sale December 12.

“The first feeling that I try to connect to when I’m creating villains is fear and evil,” Grampá explains. “My first impressions of evil were in the church because I had a very Catholic family and we went to church every weekend. I remember how horrified I was when I saw, for the first time, Jesus on the cross with blood. I was very young, like three or four years-old, something like that. I used to see Jesus on little crosses, but they weren’t colored and I didn’t see the blood.”

Taking those religious elements into mind, Grampá created The Virgin and the dark congregation festering under Gotham as Batman. Grampá points out that while the character goes unnamed in Gargoyle of Gotham #2, the imagery associated with and the appearance of the character itself are meant to convey that theological connection. The introduction of the Virgin is also meant to evoke the larger themes in the story and its exploration of Bruce Wayne. Based on this childhood memories, Grampá wanted to incorporate elements of the Lord’s Prayer, particularly its closing line.

“Faith is a big subject in everything that I create and it wouldn’t have been different for Batman,” Grampá notes before remarking with a laugh. “When you’re a kid, you see Jesus on a cross bleeding, and everyone is saying together ‘deliver us from evil,’ it’s like you’re going to watch a horror movie.”

Despite these prominent religious themes drawing directly from Grampá’s formative years in Brazil, the comic creator is careful to ensure that Gargoyle of Gotham remains an entertaining Batman story rather than an overly heady one. To ensure the high-octane action and stylish fun pop off each page, Grampá looks to another major influence from his childhood in the ‘80s, the music video for Michael Jackson’s iconic single 'Thriller.'

“I don’t want to be very dramatic about faith and stuff, I just want people to have fun,” Grampá grins. “That music video had a big impact on me at the same time that I met Batman. When I first met Batman and started watching the cartoons, I was watching Michael Jackson’s 'Thriller.' Those things kind of blend in my perception of entertainment. That’s a big example of what I’m trying to do with Gargoyle of Gotham. I’m trying to entertain people in the same way that I was entertained with 'Thriller.'”

The Virgin isn’t the only brand-new villain debuting in Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #2, with a serial killer who commands deadly swarms of moths introduced over the course of the issue. Cheekily named Moth-er, the vicious killer embraces just how ridiculous Batman’s rogues gallery can be, along with mirroring cinematic influences on the early elements of the Batman mythos. Just as the Joker was inspired by Conrad Veidt’s garishly grinning appearance in the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs and Two-Face was inspired by the dual-faced depiction of Spencer Tracy on posters for the 1941 adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, so too was Moth-er. For his own cinematic influences, Grampá looked more recently, specifically to the 1991 Academy Award-winning horror movie The Silence of the Lambs.

“One of the movies that just blew my mind when I was a teenager was The Silence of the Lambs,” Grampá recalls. “That scene when they found a cocoon inside the mouth of the victim, for me, it was so creepy and I enjoyed it a lot. This character is kind of based on that scene. I created Moth-er to dance with that experience again. Moth-er is inspired by The Silence of the Lambs, that scene. This serial killer used to raise moths and I brought that to this.”

Careful not to spoil any specific details about the story, including how the new villains relate to Batman and challenge the Caped Crusader uniquely, Grampá hints that both, especially The Virgin, have bigger roles to play in the miniseries. “Every character is connected to the mystery,” Grampá teases, with Batman tested like never before by the enemies surfacing around Gotham in the wake of his battle against Crytoon.

More than just keeping the focus squarely on Batman, however, Gargoyle of Gotham #2 begins to expand its scope to include more perspective from both Alfred Pennyworth and Jim Gordon. With its centerpiece action sequence and Gordon’s own investigation into the new villains appearing across Gotham, Grampá feels that the second issue gives more of a spotlight to the seasoned detective. “Gordon shines in this issue,” Grampá declares proudly after citing Moth’er’s debut as “the most exciting scene in the book.”

Despite the introduction of new villains and more time spent with Alfred and Gordon, Grampá also confirms that the issue strikes very close to home for Bruce Wayne as more elements of his painful history and evolution of Batman, with the Dark Knight’s narrative certainly not lost in the mix. “What Bruce Wayne will discover in this issue will change the perception about himself forever in this universe,” Grampá observes about the twists and turns unearthed in the second issue. More than offer an exploration of Batman and the man underneath the cowl, the issue also begins to tangibly layout the groundwork for the rest of Gargoyle of Gotham and its larger commentary to the Batman mythos, especially through its villains.

“The dialogue between the villains opens a big thing of what this story is about with what they’re talking about,” Grampá explains. “A good reader will understand that I’m just giving clues where this story is going.”

The opening issue’s new villain, Crytoon, had been influenced by Grampá’s childhood memories of clown statues at his grandmother’s home that he found particularly scary. The Virgin and Moth-er are similarly characters inspired by Grampá’s upbringing, fueled by those adolescent fears and anxieties and refined under the lens to make them worthy opponents of Batman. Like Crytoon, Moth-er began as a character before Grampá conceived Gargoyle of Gotham specifically, with the storyteller finding the perfect place for him as an opponent for the Caped Crusader.

Two issues in and Grampá is leaving his own distinct stamp on the Batman legacy through this DC Black Label series, from alterations to the details behind Bruce’s immediate response to the murder of his parents to how Bruce approaches the growing wealth divide and urban decay throughout Gotham City. And rather than relying on classic villains from Batman’s extensive history, Grampá is bringing in creations inspired by haunting details from his own life, speaking directly to this vision of Batman and the themes in the ambitious story he is telling. And while this is definitely coming from a personal place for Grampá, the story itself is still a fun thrill ride, refined with its deep and dark narrative themes as it challenges Batman and his place in a violent and changing city.

“I was really opening the doors to go darker and show what this story is about,” Grampá continues. “This story in my head is a kind of essay on evil. This is a very deep subject, but I’m trying to portray it in a way to really entertain people and discuss it in the comic, but having fun with that.”

Written and illustrated by Rafael Grampá, colored by Matheus Lopes, and lettered by John Workman, Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham #2 is on sale December 12 from DC Comics. The issue will also be released in a special black and white noir edition, also on December 12.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming games
• Upcoming fiction books
• Upcoming comic conventions