Quotes from Brian Azzarello

Joker: I don't mind you saying that, Johnny. Sometimes, I need to hear the obvious... now is not one of those times, though.

And that to me is something. Coming to an understanding of who you are in the midst of discovering who you aren't.

After being dry for a couple a weeks, three cocktails went down quicker than a boner in a busted rubber.

I have failed you. You came to me asking for help with your pain, but your pain is beyond my abilities.

You know you are involved with a sick man who will see you die? He will stand over your body, with your blood on his hands and I promise you he will laugh... not because your life means nothing to him -- but because death, for him -- is the punch line.

What's the trick to writing a good bad guy? Well, for me, it's always been the idea that you pit yourself against authority, you know? I think that's what it takes - and then you can write villainous characters.

I'm not the monthly comic guy, and I never really have been.

Civil war, now, 100 years in the future - the things that motivate human beings, they don't change emotionally.

When I was writing about Gotham in 'Broken City,' I was writing about Chicago. I just substituted the names.

The metro section of the newspaper every day is full of stuff I can use. It's the greatest inspiration for me because it's full of endings. That's where the ends of stories show up.

Everybody's got a father. Even if he's not the nicest guy in the world.

If there's nothing interesting about a character, people leave because there's no desire to see what happens.

Nobody's angry all the time, unless you're a psycho.

'100 Bullets' is such a post-modern noir; there are certain rules you gotta follow.

Basically, I think that Gotham is all of our urban nightmares and fears made into reality. Instead of hearing footsteps from behind you while you walk down the streets, turning around and finding nobody there, there is somebody there.

From a storytelling perspective, perfection is death.

We get a better book when everyone's allowed to do their best work on it. I don't want to prevent anybody from bringing their ideas to a project.

Hollywood, they love everything, but they move like molasses. They'll option anything - the worst idea in the world will get optioned just because they want to keep the other person from getting that idea.

One of the reasons Batman works as a character is that it's not beyond possibility that he could exist - you could become Batman if you had a billion dollars at your disposal. There's nothing paranormal or superhuman or supernatural about that character. And I think his villains work the same way. You could be one of his villains just as easily.

I have a reputation for writing all kinds of hard-core, violent things.

I like alleys. They are the backdoor to everything.