The Batman Family Stars in Weekly Event, Shadows of The Bat
Coming this November, Batman's family will be featured in an all-new weekly series titled Shadows of the Bat, seeing them facing the latest iteration of Arkham Asylum. While Gotham has been on the brink of collapse in recent Batman comics, this new series will be one of the first looks at the aftermath of Scarecrow's Fear State as well as Gotham's response to Arkham's destruction. Now, Shadows of the Bat will feature the Bat-Family answering the call to assist with a new crisis, while also revealing some of the darkest chapters of Arkham's complex history.
In recent issues, Arkham Asylum was destroyed in a massive explosion (a day which Gotham's residents dubbed A-Day). Meant to look as though the Joker was responsible after all the mayhem and devastation he caused in the recent Joker War, the attack actually came from Scarecrow and the Magistrate in a bid to make the city even more fearful than it already was, a precursor to Dr. Jonathan Crane's current Fear State. However, it appears as though the aftermath of the event will be revealed in Shadows of the Bat, coming from Detective Comics' writer Mariko Tamaki as a 12-issue weekly series featuring a variety of artists with Ivan Reis drawing the first four issues.
Thanks to DC Comics' latest solicitations, it's been revealed that Shadows of the Bat will begin with a prelude featured in Detective Comics' annual issue coming this November, serving as a zero issue before the series begins in earnest January of 2022. As revealed by the synopsis, Gotham's Mayor Nakano will be commissioning Arkham Tower to replace the destroyed asylum, though the inmates will soon take over their new residence resulting in the Bat-Family answering the call. Furthermore, the series will also feature backup issues from Matthew Rosenberg detailing the history of Arkham itself. Here are the solicitations for the upcoming Detective Comics #1047 and #1048, featuring preview images and a synopsis for the upcoming series:
- DETECTIVE COMICS #1047
- Written by Mariko Tamaki
- Art by Ivan Reis and Danny Miki
- Backup written by Matthew Rosenberg
- Backup art by Fernando Blanco
- Cover by Irvin Rodriguez
- Variant by Lee Bermejo
- 1:25 variant by Jorge Fornés
- 1:50 variant by Simone Di Meo
- $4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (Card stock)
- ON SALE 1/4/22
- DETECTIVE COMICS #1048
- Written by Mariko Tamaki
- Art by Ivan Reis and Danny Miki
- Backup written by Matthew Rosenberg
- Backup art by Fernando Blanco
- Cover by Irvin Rodriguez
- Variant by Lee Bermejo
- 1:25 variant by Jorge Fornés
- $4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (Card stock)
- ON SALE 1/11/22
Out of the ashes of Arkham Asylum, Arkham Tower rises in Gotham City… but the tower soon falls to the inmates and Batman’s allies are drawn back into the madness at the heart of Gotham, and the plans of the mysterious Dr. Wear.
The story kicks off with a prelude Issue #0 in November’s DETECTIVE COMICS 2021 ANNUAL, co-written by Mariko Tamaki and Matthew Rosenberg (TASK FORCE Z), with art by David Lapham (STRAY BULLETS) and Trish Mulvihill (BIRDS OF PREY). Get ready for SHADOWS OF THE BAT, as Mayor Nakano signs off on the new Arkham Tower, and Batman and Nightwing grapple with their opposing ideas on the place of Arkham in Gotham City, and with a new villain, THE MAEGER MAN.
Interestingly enough, it seems as though the Bat-Family will be facing two new foes connected to Arkham Tower (Dr. Wear and The Maeger Man) Furthermore, it seems as though not everyone is going to be on board with the new Arkham, as the synopsis confirms that Nightwing and Batman will be at odds over the role the asylum has played in Gotham for years. Perhaps Nightwing believes Arkham should end? It certainly has a dark history, as villains often escape its disturbed halls to wreak havoc on Gotham again and again with hardly any actually being rehabilitated.
All signs point to Shadows of the Bat being a dynamic look not only at Batman's family of vigilantes but also a reveal at the new era for Gotham and Arkham Asylum when its prelude releases November before the series begins in January.