DC has announced that David Finch will bring an all new Batman book to store shelves in November, called Batman: The Dark Knight. This will not be a series of one-shots like the Grant Morrison Bruce Wayne: The Road Home we announced yesterday, but a regular on-going series.
The Dark Knight takes Batman outside what he knows, into a world of demonology, dark arts, and mystery. He’s the ultimate detective, faster, stronger and smarter than any villian, but now he faces creatures to whom logic and mortality don’t apply.
I’m all for Batman fighting demons and such, providing it doesn’t turn into another Batman Confidential that features issue after issue of Batman fighting vampires, werewolves, and the undead, because that storyline has been assed out completely.
While Finch’s art is stunning, one wonders if Batman is overexposed…
Consider the current offering from DC that features Batman prominently in the issue
- Detective Comics
- Batman
- Batman and Robin
- Superman/Batman
- Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
- Bruce Wayne: The Road Home
- Batman Odyssey
- Batman: Streets of Gotham
- Batman Beyond
- Batman Confidential (they never should have cancelled Legends of the Dark Knight)
And here I thought Dynamite Entertainment was going over the top with nine Green Hornet Books! One might complain about Wolverine and Deadpool being overused at Marvel, but I think DC might have those characters beat.
And let’s not forget the ancillary titles that make up the rest of the Bat-Family Universe
- Birds of Prey
- Batgirl
- Red Robin
- Azreal
- Gotham City Sirens
- Red Hood: The Lost Days
- Outsiders
- First Wave
And without getting into the myriad of Batman mini-series and specials that have ended in the last month or so, it all equals up to a lot of Batman offered from DC as we move toward the end of 2010 and into 2011. I’m all for Batman, providing Batman is done well and done right, but this may be a bit too much for me.
The one thing that DC hasn’t told us is if any of the current ongoing titles are being cancelled. With the new Dark Knight book on the way, one wonders if any of the current on-going series are going to get the axe.
9 Comments
It’s too much, it’s like the early 90’s all over again. Finch is a great artist, but there is no need to keep diluting popular characters.
I agree. Batman’s beginning to become the DC version of the X-Men franchise. This is pretty much Dr. Occult meets Batman. Leave the demons, paranormal and other threats to Gotham that go “bump in the night” to Azrael.
Batman doesn’t need any more title. They just gave Finch a popular character to win him over. He should have gotten someone else, or a team book, like JLA (or Superman/Batman). Another book that takes place out of continuity doesn’t make sense and will kill confidential.
DC also needs to develop characters that don’t live in the big three’s shadows.
I really like their move with Green Lantern, I hope they let the spotlight to continue to shine on other characters.
This is a weird thing to wonder but with the clear and insane expansion of the Bat-Family one wonders what’s going on with the Flash Family. I mean, they’ve got Barry running around but what happened to Wally, Jesse, (the new) Impulse, Kid Flash and Max (wait… is Max even back?)?
I love Batman. He’s my fave comic-based super hero but there are a lot of great characters that aren’t being developed because of an insistence on making money off of tried and true characters. Shame, really.
I’m all for new Batman books… if they’re any good. Unfortunately, the more books you put out the more likely you make it that a few of them might suck.
On the other hand, Batman is a character with many different aspects (as was recently discussed on the podcast), so having a lot of different books that showcase different parts of him (his detective skills in Detective Comics, running around with the super powered in Superman/Batman, or fighting the occult in this new book) might be a good thing. Someone must be enjoying the different books (or at least buying them), so I don’t mind more coming out as long as it doesn’t affect the quality of the others – but that’s the important question right there.
Personally, I read The Return of Bruce Wayne, Streets of Gotham, Batman & Robin and regular Batman, and I (perhaps selfishly) want those books to continue over the others. I fear that Streets of Gotham will become to me what Legends of the Dark Knight is to Stephen.
I’ll give it a try but I’m not confident in Finch’s writing.
Agreed guys, too much! I mean, he has not been dead that long, and honestly, I think I like it without him better in the DCU. I mean, there is still a Batman although it is not Bruce Wayne. I just dislike being “force fed” Batman everywhere, especially since he has not even been dead that long.
As long as Batman is heading his own titles and not taking over everyone else’s, I don’t think anyone is being force fed anything. That argument is sound on characters like Wolverine and Deadpool because Marvel realized those characters were bankable and started giving them lead roles in damn near every title they published. I get The Outsiders and Brave and the Bold (which he occasionally shows up in) and that’s it. At my LCS all I have to do is skip the sections for Batman (and Superman) and I’m good. He’ll pop up in other books here and there, but as a character, a lot of his books are labeled as such.