If you look in the Guinness World Record under “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever”, you’ll find Batman: Arkham Asylum. Batman: Arkham City is the follow up game coming out this fall, and to tie the two games together, DC Comics has enlisted Pual Dini to pen a six-issue mini-series.
DC Comics released a sneak peek of Paul Dini and Cliff Chiang’s Zatanna #8 that features the title character experiencing Pupaphobia…
This might come as a surprise to many of you – Paul Dini, best known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, and a successful run of Batman comic books, is joining Brian Michael Bendis, and the Man of Action crew to bring Ultimate Spider-Man to life.
You also don’t want to repeat the same old tropes. As much as I love elements of Spider-Man’s past, I don’t really want to go back in and retell the Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin story in animation just so I can do my take on it. I don’t want to redo the first Spider Slayer story. I don’t want to redo some of those classic Lee/Romita and Lee/Ditka stories just for the sake of seeing them rendered in animation. For now, I just want to approach Spider-Man with fresh eyes, taking a few things we know about him and just doing a new spin on the concept. I think old-time fans will find what we’ve done with the character to be pretty good and thoughtful, because we’re not out to junk-up Spider-Man. That’s not our intent.
While the move is a bit of shock, it kind of makes sense and some may have even seen it coming after Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III came on board Detective Comics. That last part is pure speculation on my part, mind you, as Dini has written comics for other companies and done work for other productions.
In the future, Gotham’s protector has a new name … Terry McGinnis. After thugs from Metropolis start appearing on Gotham streets, Batman decides that maybe it’s time to pay a little visit to Superman’s city where an old foe is hatching a plan to eliminate the Man of Steel.
Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic, finally has her own comic! Follow everyone’s favorite backwards-talking magician as she fights to protect San Francisco from its supernatural underbelly of crime. First on her list is the mystical crime boss, Brother Blood. Erom retfa eht pumj!
Gotham City has a thousand stories. Most of the time, we’re privy to those being told from the very top; those featuring some malevolent force brought down by the dynamic duo. Occasionally, we’re given a glimpse into how the other half live. Batman: Streets of Gotham #12 is one of those as we get a look at the ne’er-do-well’s handy-man, Jenna Duffy, a.k.a. The Carpenter.
Since Grant Morrison’s R.I.P., the Joker has been pretty scarce, and some have speculated where the Clown Prince of Crime might have wandered off to. Dead? The new Red Hood? Hunting bats in the far past? Nope. Turns out he’s been right there waiting to make a dramatic entrance.
There are so many titles and issues that float through Stately Spoiler Manor that getting through all of them in a single week seems overwhelming. Fortunately there are some issues that rise to the top as must reads (Blackest Night, RASL, and Unthinkable to name a few). This is the case with the second installment of Batman: Streets of Gotham where the streets have been set a flame by Firefly.
I’m really excited to see Dustin Nguyen and Paul Dini team back up for some really good Batman stories, and apparently DC wants to feed that appetite with a sneak peek of Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 that arrives June 17, 2009.
The Talented Mr. Elliot
We are now well within the time period between when Batman disappeared, and the time when he will rise once again to strike fear in the hearts of the wicked and the vile. Who will fill those shoes is yet to be revealed, yet until the dawn of the Big Cowling as it will be called (I got nothin’), DC still has comics to sell. The last time we saw Paul Dini writing Batman, he was wrapping up his Heart of Hush story line. The ending saw Thomas Elliot penniless, and wander the streets of Gotham. How’s he going to rise and become a major player once again? Detective Comics #852 reveals the first part of his plan.
Calling the Spoiler Legion!  If you are in Los Angeles this Friday (December 19, 2008), head down to Meltdown Comics and meet Paul Dini. The man behind Batman: The Animated Series, and more recently Detective Comics, will be signing Top Cow’s Jungle Belle: Santa Claus Vs. Frankenstein, and copies of Madame Mirage trades.
Dini will be on hand from 7:00 – 10:00 PM at Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA for a Q&A with fans. Cookies and eggnog will be provided for attendees. WOOT!
Take your Major Spoilers mini-poster with you, get a picture with you and Dini holding the sign, and we might just have prizes for the first five people who send us their pictures with the famous scribe.
Press Release
Acclaimed animation-and-comics writer Paul Dini (the “Justice League,†“Superman,†“Batman†animated series) amps up the action for Jedi heroines Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka Tano in “Cloak of Darkness,†an all-new episode of the hit animated series STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Dec. 5, on Cartoon Network.
In “Cloak of Darkness,†Ahsoka and Jedi Master Luminara escort captured Viceroy Nute Gunray to trial – but they’re unaware that Count Dooku has dispatched his deadly assassin Asajj Ventress to free the prisoner and eliminate the Jedi.