Dark Nights: Death Metal is Scott Snyder's biggest project yet in his 10 years at DC, but it will also be his last big superhero project with DC for a while.
"I'm not leaving superheroes, but I need to start working on more of my own stuff," Snyder tells Newsarama. "I'm still doing stuff at DC, but definitely not as much. I want to give other people a chance with the big stuff at DC. And to be perfectly frank, there's a lot I want to do outside of superhero comics."
For the past 10 years, Snyder has arguably been DC's top writer - writing its flagship title Batman from 2011 to 2016, several spin-offs, as well as two years on the Justice League title. He's also written two major DC events - Dark Nights: Metal, and the current sequel Dark Nights: Death Metal.
Snyder's exclusive contract with DC ended in 2019, and he's now looking more towards creator-owned work such as his recently-launched series Undiscovered Country at Image Comics. Snyder has also spoken about a creator-owned project with his 'Black Mirror' collaborator Francesco Francavilla and has teased a return to Wytches with his other 'Black Mirror' partner, Jock.
"Rafael Albuquerque, Greg Capullo, and I are going to be doing more stuff together," The writer says. "Death Metal and American Vampire: 1976 are a neat way to cap off my previous decade at DC. But I'll be doing more work with them after this, as well as with Jock and some other people from my time at DC; Becky Cloonan, to name another."
Fans of Snyder's work at DC won't be left high and dry - just expect something different going forward.
"I've had such amazing support. Getting to write Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, all of the DCU," Snyder continues. "I feel sometimes at this point… I want to do more things like Batman: Last Knight on Earth. Things that don't take oxygen from the main line."
The writer also hopes to resume the DC Writers Workshop initiative he taught from 2015 through 2018, to "allow a generation of writers to come up" and be a part of DC's core superhero line.
"I mean I do have things I want to do at DC still, but I want to move away from doing something so central to the main continuity of DC," Snyder says.
