One of the most celebrated comic artists in the industry today is Lee Bermejo, whose painted art style and gritty sensibilities give a harder edge to even the most established comic book universes and characters. From working with Brian Azzarello on bestselling titles like Luthor and Joker to his own projects as artist and writer with works including Batman: Noël, Bermejo has provided many fan-favorite takes on the darker corners of the DC Universe.

Bermejo’s popular artwork for DC Comics has been compiled in a gorgeous art collection, showcasing Bermejo’s impressive body of work. In addition to this collection, Bermejo’s haunting covers for Detective Comics have been compiled into the upcoming DC title Batman: Dear Detective. The unique project links the artwork into an overarching story written by Bermejo, with a serial killer taunting the Dark Knight from afar through a series of letters as the Caped Crusader endures the grueling gauntlet of defending Gotham.

In a spotlight interview with Popverse, Bermejo recalls his career origins with WildStorm, shares his influences and comic creators that he personally admires, and chats about his work on Batman: Dear Detective.

Popverse: What was the first comic book that you remember reading and have you revisited it since becoming a comic creator yourself?

Lee Bermejo: I'm pretty sure my first comic was an issue of Batman from the early ‘80s. For the life of me, I can't remember which one.

You got your start as an intern at WildStorm right around the time it was acquired by DC. How was it building up your artistic chops during this period?

Wildstorm was a great “college” experience for me. It was my first introduction to being a professional artist, and it was a very fertile ground for learning and exploration. The closest thing I can equate it too is like being in university. I felt like my career really started after I left, even though I did a good bit of work while I was there. But it was all me trying to find myself amidst the pressures of working in a studio environment.

How do you think starting out in the consumer product department helped inform your style?

The best thing I can say about that is that it taught me a good bit of versatility. You had to be nimble on your feet and go from basketball toys to video game maps to drawing Resident Evil comics. Again, it was like my college years. I was so young and new to the game that I had to learn how to crawl before I could run anywhere.

Do you remember the first time you met Brian Azzarello? How has your collaborative dynamic with him evolved over the years?

Brian and I met in a hotel restaurant in San Diego sometime around 1999 or 2000. We were starting to discuss Batman/Deathblow. Our collaboration has really changed over the years. We've become a bit looser of late, working more in Marvel style, which I think both of us like. Anyone who has ever worked with Brian will tell you the same thing, he is one of the most open and respectful creators in the business. He gives his artists a lot of freedom and has one of the most unique voices in comics.

How was it taking on the role as writer and artist for Batman: Noël? What did you want to do with the story that you hadn't seen Batman comics do before?

Batman: Noël was a stepping stone for me to eventually get to write and draw Suiciders. I knew DC wouldn't just let me write my own project without first proving that I could do the job. So Noël became a great opportunity for me to try and create an evergreen Batman story for all audiences, whereas Joker before it, was much more adult. In the end, I can't take credit for the story. I just tried to adapt Dickens and maintain the core themes of his original story.

You've mentioned that writing has its own challenges, when working on Batman: Noel. How do you approach the scripting side of the creative process?

I'm a very slow writer, and I do lots of drafts. I like to try different things out and see what sticks, and I also like to let something breathe for a bit and then revisit it with fresher eyes. Even for something as relatively simple as a taunting note needs to have a specific voice, and it also needed to lead the reader in a couple different directions. So part of that required a bit of time. I wish I could say this comes easy to me, but it doesn't. I have to sculpt my scripts slowly.

Did the naked Batman controversy in Batman: Damned surprise you? Beyond that, what are you most proud of about looking back at that book?

It did surprise me, yes. I honestly thought we had come so far in comics that we could treat something like Batman in the same way we look at Greek or Roman statues... in other words, as art. Plus, I didn't do it in an exploitative way. Ultimately, it taught me a few very important lessons, namely to remember that it's still a comic about a guy in a silly costume and therefore will never be high art, and that the comic book business and larger [companies] are not there to allow you to do art. They are there to keep [making] sure the brand isn't damaged and they aren't beholden to the talent.

Still, I am proud that we tried something a bit risky with the story and the structure of the book. While it's very divisive as a project, I think it does things no other Batman comic [does]. It certainly deserves a place in the greater pantheon of that character.

What does Batman mean to you? Let’s go abstract.

I have made the terrible mistake and the greatest mistake in my life of being very involved with that character in such a way. It is a huge corporate icon, it’s a billion dollar franchise, and I still make the mistake of having that little pang of, 'This is my Batman.' This little pocket universe is only coming from me, you’re not going to get that anywhere else. That’s crazy because Batman is clearly a Warner Bros. property. [laughs]

That's a testament to the connective tissue that I have with that character. I know, as a comic book author, people only have a lifetime to tell stories with those characters. They have a moment where their version hits or doesn’t and, in years, that might become passé. People might think it’s old or they don’t like it anymore. You see that with older creators who did amazing work and, maybe now, aren’t so commercial.

I also know that I have a limited amount of time to do the work that I want to do and tell the stories I want to tell with that character, and I hope to be able to accomplish that.

With Batman: Dear Detective, how was it creatively getting to add an overarching story to the artwork you illustrated for Detective Comics?

It added another element of fun and complexity to the job and also ultimately made it more rewarding. I was able to start thinking about the cover run as a single entity instead of just individual covers. Plus, it hopefully allows for readers to engage with the images in a new and different way. I find covers can sometimes lack that “replayability” because they tend to be simpler, more direct images. In the case of this project I had to think about them not only serving the purpose of the book that month but also this other narrative.

How quickly did the serial killer P.O.V. aspect of the story come to you?

It just seemed to make sense as the voice of someone taunting Batman. It also relieved me of some other form of more traditional narration. I didn't want to have Batman be the voice of the reader as well. It's also just more fun to antagonize Batman a bit. He likes it.

What gets you personally motivated and excited to get out of bed and keep working as a comic artist?

What keeps me pushing is the same thing that kept me pushing since the beginning – the desire to see what's in my head become a reality on paper. I want to put a vision out there that is unique and striking.

What are you currently working on?

Currently working on a creator owned book for BOOM! Studios.

How has it been shifting gears to creator-owned work?

Always super rewarding but also [not] without its own unique challenges. With something like Suiciders, I was in the driver’s seat so it was 100% my baby. This time around I am collaborating with an amazing young writer and that gives this book a really fresh perspective. I can't talk too much about it just yet, but I will say this new project has been the most different and challenging thing I've done yet. It really is radically different from the books I've done in the past for multiple reasons so it's good to branch out a bit.

What comics, DC or otherwise, do you personally recommend?

I always recommend the work of other creators I admire, so I suggest them to people instead of books. Howard Chaykin, John Paul Leon, Frank Quitely, Paul Pope, Rafael Grampa, Al Columbia... these are all people I think whose work is a cut above.

Where do you want to be with your life and career in the next couple years?

I want to be drinking wine on my terrace and working on something I created. Seems like that would be enough to make me a happy man.

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Written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, Batman: Dear Detective is currently available from DC Comics.

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