WTF moment of the week- DC Releases Deets on Bat-Books

The Green Lantern line of books got their shine last Friday though only one cover was shared and most of the same creators were on board.  DC starts our week (well it was more like the weekend) out right with intel on most of the Bat fam books.  It's hard not to start with one of the most talked about new directions for a fave character post-Flashpoint with...

Batgirl #1   

Written by Gail Simone  Art by Adrian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes

Only one person has the talent, connection and straight chops to pull this off right and that is the lovely Gail Simone.  Here is what she has to say about Batgirl...

Barbara Gordon is pretty much my everything. Because of the Batman TV show, she was the reason I fell in love with superheroes. Because she was a redhead who could kick ass, she is the reason I fell in love with comics. She was always forward-looking as Batgirl, a girl who was smarter than the male characters, who had class and elegance and style, as well as tough-as-nails grit. For a long time, there was simply nothing else like her in comics, and for me and a lot of other readers, her every appearance was joyful and explosive.

For many years, I got to write the character as Oracle, and there is to this day, no character who means more to me. This is classic Barbara as she was originally conceived, with a few big surprises. It’s a bit of a shock, to be sure, but we’re doing everything we can to be respectful to this character’s amazing legacy, while presenting something thrilling that a generation of comics readers will be experiencing for the first time…

...Barbara Gordon leaping, fighting, and swinging over Gotham. Now, when citizens of that city look up, they are going to see BATGIRL.  And that is absolutely thrilling.

 The Adam Hughes cover is decent and would love to see him regular (yeah, who wouldn't?!) as the ongoing exterior artist.  Nice young duo of illustrators in Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes to help visualize Simone's wordplay and vision. 

Batman and Robin #1   

Written by Peter Tomasi  Art by Patrick Gleason

Tomasi and Gleason are no-brainers here, especially with how well they have handled the title post-Morrison.  So we get Bruce Wayne and his only biological son- Damien paired up which we have yet to see.  

In BATMAN AND ROBIN #1, the acclaimed creative team of Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason will explore the family dynamic of the Caped Crusader as Bruce Wayne battles the Gotham underworld with the help of his son, Damian, in the role of Robin.

This will be a solid title and with there now only being one Batman-- I suppose the speculation of Dick Bat coming to an end is true.  That's a bummer as Morrison and others did so much too establish a cool, new direction for the Bat-Fam with two Batmen.   You know how this biz is, just gotta roll with it.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1   

Script & Art by David Finch & Jay Fabok

I like that Finch will be continuing his scribework and incomparable art steez on The Dark Knight with his Rogers-like approach on the cityscape of Gotham.

In BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT, superstar artist David Finch writes and draws a twisted adventure that pulls Bruce Wayne deep into the halls of the famed Arkham Asylum, a jail for Gotham City’s most dangerous and criminally deranged. Finch will team up with collaborator Jay Fabok on pencils.

Would have been some serious blue-batballs if this title wasn't a part of the revived books with the whopping 2 titles that hit our stands so far.  Hope to see Finch get his solid works to all of us with more regularity.

Catwoman #1   

Written by Judd Winick  Art by Guillem March

Pretty hyped with this one cause one, Winick is the man and second, March has the most enticing Selina Kyle since AH! was pimping her covers on the regular.

Meet Catwoman. She’s addicted to the night. Addicted to shiny objects. Addicted to Batman. Most of all, Catwoman is addicted to danger. She can’t help herself, and the truth is – she doesn’t want to. She’s good at being bad, and very bad at being good.

Though slightly bummed that Sirens won't be returning, nice to see that Ivy will be moving on to a darker take in Birds of Prey and assume that Harley will be continuing her path back as Joker's right hand/lover.

Nightwing #1   

Written by Kyle Higgins   Art by Eddy Barrows

So its finally confirmed that Dick Grayson will be reassuming the life as Nightwing.  I had a hint of hope that with the new red colorway that it would be Tim Drake, but with DC's official release...that is all gone.

After a tenure as the Batman of Gotham, Dick Grayson resumes his mantle as Nightwing! As Dick embraces his identity, Haley’s Circus, the big top where he once performed with his family, returns to Gotham - bringing with it a history of murder, mystery and superhuman evil. Nightwing must confront friends and enemies from his past as he searches for the source of an even greater evil.

Not familiar with Higgins' work but Barrows is dope indeed and I will jump on this to see what they have in store for the original Boywonder.


Other Bat-books and creative teams that were announced are:

Detective Comics #1  Script/Art by Tony Daniel

Batman #1  Written by Scott Snyder  Art Greg Capullo

Batwoman #1  Written by J.H. Williams III & Hayden Blackman  Art by JH Williams III & Amy Reeder

Birds of Prey #1  Written by Duane Swiercynski   Art by Jesus Saiz 

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1  Written by Scott Lobdell   Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Batwing #1    Written by Judd Winick   Art by Ben Oliver

and in 2012...

Batman Incorporated #1  Written by Grant Morrison   Art by Chris Burnham

Thank Buddha we have GMo on Bats along with some element of an international Bat-army....
So with these updates, we have yet to see the fate of Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain.  Would have liked to see Red Robin and the Outsiders book round out these books.  And what up with Bryan Q. Miller yet to be announced for a book?!  Ugh..

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big O