Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point Team Talk Translating Fortnite's Mechanics to Comics

Today, fans will finally get a chance to check out Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #1, the first in a [...]

Today, fans will finally get a chance to check out Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #1, the first in a comic crossover miniseries involving the two cultural phenomenons. As the name would suggest, the game sees Batman being thrown head-first into the world of Fortnite's Battle Royale, and having to resort to using his skills as the World's Greatest Detective to explore his new status quo and figure out how to escape. Given that this is Fortnite's biggest entry into comics yet, fans of the game were eager to see exactly how elements of the game's mechanics translate into another medium, something that also posed an interesting challenge for the comics' creative team. ComicBook.com recently got to attend a press event with Zero Point's writer Christos Gage and artist Reilly Brown, who spoke about the process of properly bringing the world of Fortnite to comics.

"For me, the challenge was the same challenge that Batman faces, which is given these obstacles — once he finds himself in the loop and time resets, or his memory resets every 22 minutes — how do you get out of that? It took some creative thinking. But he is Batman and he figures that he's probably gonna figure out a way out." Gage explained. "I think one of the biggest challenges for me was to figure out what elements of Fortnite we should focus on and what we should just sort of put aside. Like for example, in the game, they're building structures that, for the players, is a big mechanic. And I just did not see a way that it would work to have Batman suddenly [think] 'I'm going to build a tower three stories high, and climb up and fight somebody.' It just wasn't going to work. We did reference to building mechanic in it, as Batman builds himself a sort of Batcave for want of a better word. So, there are some side references to it, but it's not a big part of the story."

"There were some aspects like that, that it was better to shy away from, and then there were other aspects that were cool to lean into," Gage continued. "One of the things that I thought was cool is - I mentioned it with the characters that are clearly not human — what about some of the wackier characters and some of the wackier things that they do, like dancing. And Meowsicles, the muscular cat, and all these really strange characters. I thought it would be fun to put them in there and have Batman have to face them. Because, I mean, let's face it — this is a guy who regularly battles people who dress up like clowns and killer moths and crocodiles, and what have you, so it's not all that bizarre. So, that part was fun."

"Probably the biggest game mechanic that we use in the story is the storm itself, which is a major plot point for the first three issues." Brown echoed. "That and the 22-minute loop, that's obviously a huge part of it too. I definitely did put a lot of references in the background to the players building things. I used those materials and those structures and background elements a lot, because it's just a part of the game. It's kind of a fun part. I didn't want to leave that out. Like Chris said, we don't see Batman just suddenly building a three-story building in ten seconds. Again, that might be pushing get a little bit. But, yeah, yeah, the storm was definitely huge."

Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #1 is now available for purchase at comic shops and virtual platforms, as well as for free for subscribers of DC Universe Infinite.

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