This morning IGN delivered the details on the fate of the Bat books come September. This corner of the DC universe was one of the biggest question marks in the days since the reboot was announced. Several items — the status of Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Kate Kane, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Caine, and Stephanie Brown — remain a bit blurry, but we now know that Bruce and Damian Wayne are Batman and Robin.
Batman #1 – Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo focus on the solo adventures of Bruce Wayne in his role as the one and only Batman. Readers of Snyder’s terrific ongoing run in Detective Comics (starring Dick Grayson under the cowl) will be relieved to see he’s still patrolling the streets of Gotham.
Detective Comics #1 – A little flip flop here, as Tony Daniel and Scott Snyder swap roles. Previously the writer/artist on Batman, Daniel will now script and draw Detective Comics. The Gotham Ripper is listed as the first new threat.
Batman & Robin #1 – Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson return to B&R, this time chronicling the adventures of Bruce and Damian. This marks the second reboot title for Tomasi, who’s also writing September’s Green Lantern Corps #1.
Batman: The Dark Knight #1 – A second volume of David Finch’s written and drawn series with assists from Jay Fabok. This new series is unrelated to the two-issue first volume and sees Batman entrenched in Arkham Asylum.
On the surface, the lead Bat books seem to have undergone the same slight shuffle as the Green Lantern titles. While most of the creative teams remain in tact with a little musical chairs, there are some significant changes already apparent. The major items are the departure of Grant Morrison and the Batman Inc. concept and the confirmation that Dick Grayson will no longer appear as Batman. Given that we’ve been promised an announcement about Dick’s fate in just a few hours, it’s a foregone conclusion that…well, I’ll let you guys hash it out in the comments. The good news? Damian Wayne–one of the brightest additions to the mythos in the past decade–is still a major fixture in the pages of Batman & Robin. Fans of Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake, keep your fingers crossed.
UPDATE: IGN seems to have (inadvertently?) leaked the covers to #1 issues for Nightwing and Batgirl. We also found an image of Catwoman #1, via Arkham City.co.uk.
Make sure to check out our Definitive Guide to the DC Reboot to keep track of all the new titles.
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
I’m going to buy 10 copies of Detective Comics #1 so my kids can sell them for a couple million a piece….i hope they have holo-foil covers. =p
These sound like pretty good lineups to me. No need to freakout right?
So this means Batman INC. is over…BOOOOOOOO!
I wonder if this is all of the Bat-family of books…like if we’re going to get a Robin and Batgirl book still…
So far this is the only bit of news that has raised my fanboy hackles a bit. I’ve been loving the Batbooks right now and don’t want to lose what we’ve been getting. But at least we still have Snyder. We’ll see.
Can’t tell if that’s Damien, or Dick, or Tim, or Jason in that B&R image, but that (presumably) Jim Lee costume/cape feels like 1998.
I’m in for Batman and Batman & Robin (Damian, Damian, Damian), but I don’t think I’ll buy DC or The Dark Knight unless they get rave reviews from the guys.
Damn. WHERE IS GRAYSON? This is a slight letdown for that reason. Grr.
And what about Jock?
@Thursday
Batman & Robin #1 – Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson return to B&R, this time chronicling the adventures of Bruce and Damia.
There you go.
Well, I hope that Batman Inc. just has not been revealed yet. With Capullo on art, the cape is gonna look dynomite in Batman.
I am a little surprised that they are giving Finch a second shot, but that may be contractual.
I am really surprised that they are giving Daniels another shot too.
I miss the multiple ‘bat-suits’ already…
Thank God they rebooted The Dark Knight.
Glad David Finch is staying on Dark Knight, he’s had a hell of a run on that book and can’t wait to see it continue. He’s had a run on that book that people will call significant, who knows what the future will bring.
Either way I’m picking up all of these.
@Noto I know. It was so wrapped up in its own continuity that it was nearly unreadable.
@ragcage Yay the power of reading! Must have missed that when they updated the image, thanks!
Now I just have to wait for definitive Batgirl news…which is probably my favorite DC book right now.
Yeah I’ve REALLY been enjoying Snyder and Jock on Detective, I hope Grayson is utilized well and the momentum is kept.
Yeah, what about Grayson? We want Dick! We want Di- hey, where’s everybody going?
@nudebuddha Nightwing #1 with a bad ass new costume!
Not sure if it is Jason or Grayson due to the coloring.
IGN is showing a Nightwing #1 and a Batgirl #1. Nightwing’s costume is redder, and Batgirl has red hair. Whether that means that Babs is Batgirl, is an entirely different thing.
Overall, I am ok with the change in direction with these “Bruce-related” books. As previously noted, I am more concerned/intereseted in the subsequent announcements regarding the remaining bat titles. I’ll be getting all of these except for Dark Knight.
I am a little bummed that Tomasi is writing Batman & Robin. I did not like his characterization of Damian in his previous arc. I am bummed that Dick will no longer be in the batsuit. I thought there were more stories to explore there. I am also disappointed that neither Jock nor Francavilla are on Batman with Snyder. And, I am still holding out hope that we will see a Batman, Inc. written by Morrison in the next set of announcements.
I am sure it will all turn out ok. Batman seems to weather the storms pretty well.
Does Daniel have dirt on the editorial staff at DC? cuz he’s not a good writer, but they keep hiring him as one. It’s really bizarre. Other than that, Batman and Batman and Robin I’m definitely down for. Greg Copullo on Batman with Scott Snyder writing? Holy shit is that going to awesome.
@redlibertyx I read somewhere it was going to be Babs back in costume…
@mikeandzod21 Different strokes, man. I like Daniel as a writer, and I think his numbers have been decent.
Pretty damn weak. Only the Snyder book looks good but the loss of Jock is terrible even if I do think Capullo is pretty good.
I’m a little bum not seeing Jock mentioned
@ctrosejr Even if it wasn’t as Batman and Robin, Damian and Dick should have been kept as a team. But, I’ll still give it a shot.
i need to think this one over. No Jock is dissapointing, hope to see him on another book.
Nightwing looks good, not sure who it is yet, probably Dick. Wonder what that means for Tim.
and If @Actualbutt reads this. You win the bet.
Also in no way do I prefer this over the current Detective and Batman Inc combo. Definitely a downgrade.
Also looks like there will be a Batgirl with Barbra in the suit and Batwoman. Comis Alliance has it.
I thought they would be de-aging the characters. Where does Damian fit into all of this? I’m not really seeing the heavy continuity going away…
They better announce Batman Inc. The argument that we’ll still have all the old stories doesn’t hold much water when stories like Grant Morrison’s epic run are left unfinished.
@nudebuddha Completely agree. I loved the Dick / Damian relationship dynamic.
There was a scene, I think it was in Batman: The Return, where we were basically shown that Bruce and Damian are not well suited to be teammates. It’s the whole dad/son dynamic. So, are they throwing that out the window, or will they explore that further in B & R?
They’re rebooting Detective after 70 years and Tony Daniel is the writer? What?
While I love Jock’s art, I never expected him to do a lengthy run on a Batbook, so I don’t mind that he’s out. Doesn’t he have something else with Andy Diggle in the works?
There’s more to reveal for sure, but I’m a little bummed the Batman Inc/multiple Batmen status quo appears to be ending. It was a fun idea that I wish could stick around for a few years, but I understand that it’s a genie that’s tough to put back in the bottle (same with multiple Batmen).
I’m still hoping we see Francavilla drawing some kind of Bat-related title… Gotham Central #1 with Scott Snyder?? Yes?? Yes?? 🙂
@ctrosejr Bruce also told Tim they would still be partners. But I guess all that will be out the window. My question now is if we’ll see the current threads actually wrap up in some way or if any will be continued.
Seriously, the loss of Morrison and Jock weakens the line SO much. I love Snyder, but an incomplete Batman Inc. would miff me pretty badly.
Three out of the four look good, the Dark Knight just doesn’t seem to appeal to me.
Absolute step down. The Bat-books were the only thing at DC that were hitting on all cylinders, (besides Finch). It’s a shame they had to get swept up in the whole line cleanup.
Gleason and Tomasi are back! Woooo!!
So I’ll be picking up two more titles with Batman/Batman and Robin. The creative ‘switch’ is kinda weak though I must admit.
Anybody else look at Batman’s pose in that first cover and think of that crazy baby-punching statue in Norway?
how do so many of you know this is going to suck before you’ve read any of it? Can you guys help me with betting on the baseball for the rest of the season? I need some “sure thing” cash.
So far all of these books DC is throwing out are more of the same creative team wise. Why do they seem to think that I’m going to want to buy a book from the Kruls and Daniels that I didn’t buy before. But then again, I guess I’m really not who they are pushing for anymore.
Oh well, at least we didn’t loose Snyder.
well this will certainly save me some money. I was really loving the books with Grayson under the cowl. might check them out but doubt i’ll be pulling them on a regular basis unless word of mouth convinces me otherwise.
Like Snyder, like Tomasi. Don’t like Tony Daniel as a writer, so there’s $3.00 a month I can put towards something else. Not sure about Finch.
Losing Jock on a Bat book is a MAJOR mistake, DC.
@wallythegreenmonster One does not need to be clairvoyant to know that the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to suck do they?
@wallythegreenmonster Well, speaking for myself, I actually agree with you. I’ll be giving it all a chance. But, I think the general disappointment is that we were all enjoying where the Batbooks were, so to see a shake up in the one part of the DCU that didn’t really need one is offputting.
This takes my Batman books down to one with Snyder. I wasn’t impressed with the Tomasi B&R nor am I impressed with anything Tony Daniel does. Losing Batman Inc is a greivous wound though. I will really miss that book.
@MisterJ TRUE…but, i’m not seeing any AAA level talent on these listings. If they pulled a bunch of guys from Bluewater that no one has ever heard of then ok maybe…but i dunno..seems like some overreacting and anger because changes were made more than anything.
That could either be Tim or Dick as Nightwing.
It’s very cool to see Capulo doing a Batman book. It’s also cool to see two books by a single writer/artist, which is something we don’t get enough of in modern mainstream comics (though I haven’t read anything by either of them as writers).
ugh…..Grayson was my Batman…What the hell are they doing to Robin’s cape? And on BnR, Bruce and Damian’s attitude are too similar. Enjoyed the banter between Dick and Damian….And putting Tony Daniel on Detective is a poor move. I don’t think Tony can write a mystery, and have a dark emotional feel like Snyder did.
@warmachine15 I saw that as well, but until I see an official announcement stating that Batgirl is Barbara Gordon, I’m going to be hoping against hope that my favorite of the big two is not going to mess with my good will toward this reboot. I wouldn’t be terribly upset about it, but I’d be mighty disappointed. Still, if it’s good comics it’s good comics. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Here’s to hoping against hope that it’s Misfit. Of all people.
@nudebuddha –well yeah thats my assesment as well. People are upset at ANY change…it wouldn’t matter who was put on this, people would hate.
So that was a “two-issue run” on B: TDK? O… K… Well, I’m just glad the whole Finch era will continue. Supposedly he and his protege were getting caught up over the summer. Maybe that means the next “two-issue run” will be out by December.
@wallythegreenmonster You’re not wrong. The whole uproar about the reboot is a little crazy. I can see the back and forth on the digital thing because that’s conversation that needs to be had. But the creative stuff, we need to see before we lose our minds completely.
@nudebuddha yeah…..but bitching about creative teams on the interwebs is what comics is all about!
DC’s push towards the future seems to be going the wrong way. Shocker.
4 Batman books seems like a bit much too me. I’ll try Batman #1
If they don’t do anything with Tim Drake after I finally decided he’s my favorite character in DC…well, that’ll suck.
I hate Damian
It looks like Joel Schmacher finally won. Dick Grayson has the same costume as he did in Batman & Robin (minus the cape)
As a huge batman fan, I’m really disappointed to see the current status quo come to an end. I was really enjoying Dick as “bats,” and his dynamic with Damian could’ve been the stuff of legend that unfortunately won’t get developed now that’s he’s working with ‘dear ‘ol dad’. I guess, the consonlation prize is having Dick in a Nightwing costume?? Though I will admit that I’m excited to see Barbara as batgirl again.
These books better knock it out of the park, or I may just drop the line entirely…. (Can’t believe I just wrote that)
Not a whole lot of shakeup here, but the absence of Morrison is curious.
Hopefully that portends a whole lot of presence over in the Superman line of things…pretty please?
Last week some site (Bleeding Cool) announced Morrison was moving to Superman, now its Perez as writer and artist. Would like to know where Morrison lands.
@Johndowe1 Your supposed to
I dig it. Dick Grayson is someone that I grew up reading. I just couldn’t see him as Batman. Don’t get me wrong, I loved all that has been done with him, but Dick as Nightwing again is AWESOME! I like all the new line-ups and what not. Let’s see what they do with Superman next.
Anyone else just…really…really depressed right now??
None of these look partiucarly good. And the creative teams are mostly blah. That Gleason Cover is terirble compared to previous stuff.
So… no one’s allowed to express any negative feelings about these books based off of their previous track records with these very characters? I hope this mean, Wally, you go and see every movie ever made because you woudn’t want to make a judgement based on a poster or directing/acting team. This “only have good opinons” schtick has got to end. People have gut reactions and made decisions based on how they feel about these things. Writing them off as “hating change” or being “overly negative” is naive and immature.
sigh
and just when batman inc was picking up steam
im seriously knee deep in a love affair with the current batman set up… but whatever. i guess i’ll live
What will happen to the long delayed Batwoman series?
Scott Snyder’s Batman will be a digital purchase for me. Good way to give it a try.
Since other Bat book covers leaked is there a chance there could still be Batman Inc or a book focusing on Dick as Batman? Please?
Did anyone else notice the Riddler in that first cover? Honestly, who the hell thought that haircut was a good idea?
@halik – I did see that haircut. Yikes. Are you thinking that the Nightwing we are seeing is Tim and not Dick?
Hey, well since I was only in the Bat books for Grayson/Damian, Tim and Stephanie, I can drop these books entirely! Way to push a reader even closer to reading Marvel exclusively again, DC!
I’m really not excited about any of these changes. Ending Batman Inc. seems premature. I can’t imagine how they are going to wrap that series up in 3 months. Of the 5 creators that have me loving the bat-books, (Morisson, Snyder, Jock, Francavilla, and Burnham) only 1 is staying.
For me, this is the first “bad news” to come out of the reboot.
I still buy Synder’s ongoing but the rest are the same tittles I didn’t have any interest in before the reboot. Damn, Batman Inc. is gone.
@MisterJ As the last remaining Pirates fan in america, I will respectfully agree as a single tear rolls down my cheek.
as somewhat embarassing as it is to admit, though I’ve been reading comics since the 80s I didn’t start reading DC until right after bruce “died” so as long as I’ve been reading DC, in the comics Dick has been Batman. I’m not too happy about these changes.
And no more Batman Beyond, either. I guess that idea lasted like…a couple of months. Uhg.
I think I’m gonna miss Batgirl the most actually.
So once again we don’t know for sure who Batgirl is.
One thing I can complain about with this reboot without reading any of these books is that I feel bad for the creators who have created great costumes, like Stephanie’s Batigrl costume, Booster Gold, the new GL costumes, just to have that all changed and be redone by Jim Lee.
Now, I like Jim Lee’s art a lot, but one of the thing that makes having a big shared universe is all of the different writers and artists who get to use their own style on these characters. Having all of the costumes be Lee-designed is not only a bar to creativity, but a slap in the face to previous creators. Imagine if DC had a mandate that artists could only draw in “Lee style” or write like Geoff Johns. As great as those creators are, it would be terrible. We’d never get another Jock, Morrison, Quietly, or Rucka at DC.
Boo, Oracle> Batgirl this actually a demotion for that character
Remember: no announcement is different than an announcement of “No.” Just because you haven’t heard anything yet doesn’t mean there’s nothing to hear.
Like so many other posters to this thread, I’ve really been loving the current Batman family of books and the long-range story threads that they’ve been exploring. These announcements make it clear that the stories I’ve been enjoying will be coming to an end (and rather abruptly, if they’re wrapped up at all) and that’s very disappointing. Now I have to decide if I care to stick around for a whole load of essentially new comics. I already enjoy a number of Marvel titles that won’t be rebooting, so my general excitement for starting to read what amounts to a whole new line of comics is a bit low. That is NOT a prospective negative critique of comics that I haven’t read, it’s just an observation about my sagging interest in sticking with certain through the reboot. Obviously, as a fan of Batman, I hope that the comics are great. I just don’t know if I feel motivated to jump on from issue #1, especially knowing that if I wait a few months I can just download what I’ve missed that’s getting good reviews (no risk of a sell out with digital!), and at a reduced cost no less (word is that the price point drops by a dollar after a few months)!
I did read somewhere that barbara would be returning to the Batgirl role. Which sucks because the current Batgirl book is my favorite thing DC is publishing.
Wow… I had been debating about getting into Snyder’s Detective since the Fanboys have been raving about it for a while, but if Jock’s not there I don’t think I will be either…. Huh… Upon Google image searching, he definitley wouldn’t be WRONG for a Batman book…
Still, with no hide or hair of Morrison, the DCU might be losing my single monthly purchase. (I’m sure they’re very sad)
Though there’s still that DCU Presents book… I’ll keep holding out for an Adam Strange appearance in there.
Capullo and Snyder has me excited, but overall they are doing a really big disservice to the batbooks. It’s as if this line in particualr is suffereing the most from this whole reboot/relaunch money grab stunt. Still holding out hope that Inc. will be able to wrap up. The solicit for #10 doesn’t look to be a conclusion…
No Jock and Francavilla? WHHHHHHHHYYYY. Batman Inc. was so fun too. Sigh. Just make every book ATLAS #1 and then cancel it for pete’s sake!
VERY disappointed…
While I agree things don’t look good for the existence of Batman Inc (or Gotham Central with Snyder/Francavilla, haha), keep in mind that only about HALF of the 52 new #1s have been officially announced or otherwise confirmed (leaked/discovered cover images).
As far as these announcements go, the fat lady is barely on stage.
@wallythegreenmonster I will certainly agree with you on the possible overreacting (time will tell, I guess). I was only speaking for myself. And what my reactions to the news. And I actually would argue that having Tony Daniel and David Finch write isn’t even AAA talent, and is closer to AA talent than it is to MLB. But that is just one man’s opinion.
NOTE: I really, really enjoy their art. Just not the writing.
Glad to see they’re utilizing the fresh new start to put someone in the Renegade Nightwing costume. That’s just the shot-in-the-arm this company needs.
I mean I wasn’t buying any of the bat books with the people they are shuffling around. I dropped Batman & Robin after Tomasi’s tone deaf characterizations. I like Snyder on Detective, but the real draw was the art for sure.
The sad thing DC had a chance to really bring in some fresh talent like they did in the mid 80s from England and places to shake things up but so far the ONLY surprising choice of the entire reboot is Azzarello on Wonder Woman.
This sucks. Srsly. Look, DC, just get your books out on time and produce quality like Snyder and Jock on Det. I mean, the prob with DC and a number of the batbooks and Flash is that they’re late. Rebooting, ret-conning etc.. is not the cure. QUALITY is the cure. If I slap a Ferarri horse on my fucking 84 Taurus, it’s still an ’84 Taurus no matter what I want to call it.
I don’t think that DC cares much for it’s fans.
OR this an elaborate cover-up for failing to put out Batwoman and Batman Europa. 😉
@KenOchalek Excellent point, sir!
@Magnus — There is a difference between not being interested in something and prejudging it to be complete garbage based on the names on the lineup. People could just try to give things a chance before its proclaimed a failure.
Just from what i’ve been observing over the past few days on various threads, there is a large collective feeling that any creative announcements on the Bat books that wasn’t exactly the same as whats current was going to be met with lots of vitriol. The idea that comics fans don’t like change isn’t a new idea. Look at the criticism over any character getting a minor costume tweak.
Same thing I said after seeing the Green Lantern announcements. The more of these solicits we get, the more its’ clear that this universe “reboot” is really not a whole lot more than DC simply renumbering all their books, switching up some creative teams, and an excuse to do a bit more retconning than normal on certain characters. Nowhere near worth the huge hype and overreaction the big grand announcement got. The fact that this is being sold as making the DCU new reader friendly is kind of a joke. 4 Batman books and how many GL books? Two red-headed Bat-women/girls? Sorry, DC. Not buying the scale of what you’re trying to sell.
As for the Bat books:
– Interesting to see the creative teams on Detective & Batman switch. I guess it makes sense for DC to try and make “Batman” be the main Batman book. Especially considering how much of an afterthought the book has been for years.
– I know people really loved Batman, Inc. But I’m glad to see the whole multiple Batmen concept shown the door. Kinda sucks seeing as the last issue of Inc felt like a good #1 finally. But oh well. Best to keep it simple. I wasn’t all too sure how interesting all the new ancillary characters were going to be.
– Mixed on Dick returning to Nightwing. On one hand, I’m glad to just have one Batman again. I’m not a fan of having 2 of the same hero running around (Flash, I’m looking at you). So that’s cool. But a part of me is going to miss the Dick/Damian team. They had a fun and interesting dynamic. It will be interesting to see how Damian takes to Bruce, however.
– Not too excited to see Barbara back walking and jumping as Batgirl. Not only was she a great character as Oracle, with a great history and place in the DCU. Having her as Batgirl is also an odd choice seeing as Batwoman is still around. I wonder how old Barbara is going to supposed to be in comparison with Cassandra.
I’ll be picking up Batman and Batman & Robin. I haven’t been picking up Synder’s DC so I’m glad I there’s a second jumping on point for his Batman work. I guess this explains why Tomasi and Gleason were off the current B&R so quickly. I wasn’t blown away by their arc but they have enough potential that I want to see what they’ll do with the book.
It’s definitely too soon for me to react to Batman, Inc. one way or another. Maybe Morrison will still be on a Batman book? Maybe he will be doing something else awesome? I hate the idea that we might lose the story and series early but I read enough comics that I can never mourn the loss of a title for long. Who knows what we might gain elsewhere?
I’m picking up Snyder’s book because I’ve enjoyed him as a writer thus far on American Vampire, and his Detective run. I will probably pass on Tomasi Gleason since I didn’t love the 3 issue arc in B & R, and I wasn’t a big fan of Tomasi on GLC. He was passable at best.
Finch is a great artist, but I’ll pass since I haven’t liked any of his work in the past, and same goes for Daniel. So it’s just Snyder for me right now, unless I hear good things from people on the site or on twitter.
These all look pretty intriguing. I’m not sure if I’ll pick all of them up, but I think these are creative teams that can excite fans.
The only one I’m hesitant about is Batman: The Dark Knight. In 8 months, Finch on managed 2 issues. Can we really expect him to be consistent this time? I guess it’s the same argument you could make for Jim Lee on JLA, so we’ll just have to see how the art duties play out.
My only disappointment is in the lack of Jock. s
That aside I’ll have to start picking up Batman alongisde Detective and Batman & Robin. Also definitely considering Nightwing.
I’m with you, @nighthawk. As the boys mentioned in this week’s POW podcast, were supposed to get excited about a line-wide reboot with Tony Daniel and David Finch still at the wheel? There is no difference between this and what came before, generally. I love Snyder, but they couldn’t have paired him with some world beaters? Even a Cullen Bunn or two?
FlashPost is not earning headlines due to creative teams, obviously. Like Josh said, it’s their JOB to get top flight talent, and they haven’t done that.
@j206
Regarding there being four Batman books post-realauch…
I’m pretty sure there have been three or four Batman books running concurrently since the early 90s. After Batman and Detective, I know of Shadow of The Bat, Legends of the Dark Knight, Batman Chronicles, Gotham Knights, and most recently Batman and Robin and Batman Inc.
So I think for DC to suddenly cut their most popular character (arguably THE most popular comic book character) down to one or two titles would be even crazier than relaunching their entire universe.
I kinda feel like the Batbooks were the one area of the dcu that didn’t need re-jigging … am i to understand no more Morrison – Batman Inc….? And Finch stays, wtf? his writing is mediocre and art style very 90s. boo
Really excited about Snyder and Capullo on Batman. Even though I’m not that big a Batman fan, that team has got me intrested. The other ones i could take or leave.
Well, that’s a little disappointing. The Batman books were finally back on track, yet this is a backward step. Batman Inc is a work of genius, although I understand DC have hinted there’s an announcement yet to come. I’ll follow Snyder, but Cappullo doesn’t have the class of guys like Jock or Francavilla. I understand Jock wasn’t likely to hang around forever, but as amazing as Francavilla is I don’t see anyone else investing in his talent. He was born for the Batman universe, but DC seem determined to throw these Image style artists at the line, quality be damned. While I have yet to be convinced if the reboot itself is a positive or negative, a lot of the announcements have me convinced that DC has absolutely no idea what constitutes a truly amazing creative team….and that as always they have absolutely no concept of the talent they have at their fingertips.
Capullo was the only actual announcment here (and the lack of Morrison, Jock and Francavilla). The rest is just same old, nothing to be excited about…. well, except to see Snyder writing Bruce.
@KenOchalek – Yes, I realize that Batman is popular and that they weren’t going to get rid of any books. Same with Green Lantern. I was just citing all the books as a bit of a chink of the armor of DC’s “We’re rebooting everything to make it easy for new readers” line that they’re hustling.
And count me in with the people who have no desire to read a Tony Daniel or David Finch WRITTEN book. Blah.
As the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy calmly reminds us — “DON’T PANIC!” Or, to put it slightly differently, as the Blue Lanterns like to say, “All will be well.” So fellow iFanboys, calm down, remember to breathe, and trust that change can sometimes be good.
I, for one, am still super excited about what’s coming to the DCU come September. Even more so after I saw the Bat books. While I loved Dick Grayson as Batman, I knew it wouldn’t last. Bruce Wayne will always be THE Batman. So I’m not surprised at the return of Bruce to the cowl. I look forward to seeing how DC constructs the relationship between Bruce and Damien. Both are dark characters. Dick lightened Damien up. I’m not worried about the new pairing, just curious.
As for Dick, I think it’s great that he is returning to Nightwing. I absolutely LOVE his new costume. I always thought the Nightwing costumes previously were a weakness. This one looks cool.
As for Tim Drake, I’m not worried about his fate. I am confident that he will have a place in the DCNu. I just think that they haven’t revealed it yet. The same goes with Stephanie Brown. I loved her as Batgirl, but truth be told, I LOVE Barbara Gordon more as Batgirl. The thought of her returning to this role has me absolutely giddy.
@TheLastSon21 hmmm could be Tim with the Red would make sense, but where would Dick be then? Also, I was thinking it’s Jason. Maybe Dick is on the JLI?
I don’t know if this has been mentioned but from mike marts twitter: BATMAN INC #1 debutes in 2012 with @grantmorrison, @TheBrunham and @nathanfairbairn
That’s good news for all of us that didn’t want to see that title go away!
@halik It’s Dick as Nightwing.
Really disappointed to see Batman Inc fall by the wayside. I think this is what I was most afraid of with the reboot, a book that is beginning to generate some good stories being cut. Also sad that Jock and Scott Snyder will no longer be working together on Detective Comics, I really hoped that team would survive. Really disappointed DC decided to keep Tony Daniel, he must have pictures of somebody. I dropped Batman for the first time in years because it was so awful. I am interested in finding out what is going to happen to Dick.
@ato220 It’s not cut, just on a hiatus until 2012.
@PaulMontgomery really? do you have a link? I’ve been trying to find out about this for a week now. You may have just made my day.
@Funcrusher Have you checked the main page of this site recently? 😉
just did! thanks for making my day!!
@j206 I’m not sure why you think rebooting means fewer books. They were completely upfront about how many books they were publishing come September.
There have been multiple books starring Batman for about 60 years.
I’m a firm believer that there’s a Big Lebowski quote for every occasion. I think the one that sums up the Internet’s reactions to all of today’s announcements is this:
“Nothing is f***** here, Dude. Come on, you’re being verrrrry un-Dude.”
If anything, I think the announcments today have done a lot to show us the broad shape of the relaunch. I’m thinking this might be more of a reboot of philosophy going forward rather than a reboot of past charaterizations and continuity.
Conor: “ @j206 I’m not sure why you think rebooting means less books. They were compeltely upfront about how many books they were publishing come September. There have been multiple books starring Batman for about 60 years.”
I didn’t think there would be less books. I am just saying that having a bunch of books and characters sort of flies in the face of a reboot that is being sold as new reader friend.
If I’m a new reader, trying to make sense of and differentiate between multiple books with separate storylines is much more confusing than previous stories and continuity.
I’m not arguing that there shouldn’t be a lot of books for popular characters. That is what comics are and how they’ve been for ages. All I’m saying is the big DC reboot that garnered a front page headline on USA Today isn’t all too different from all the previous other renumberings of books. They really are trying to sell this as an “in” for new readers. It’s all I read about and heard about on podcasts the couple days after the big announcement. All the comic people were praising DC for taking a huge risk and giant step in slashing their continuity and universe, in an effort to make it more accessible to all the new ipad readers that are supposedly out there. That’s cool. I got what they were saying. Just doesn’t look like all too different from the comics and universes we as comic fans are familiar with. Which I’m not complaining about, btw. Personally, I am liking the balance of new and old. Not too much is changing to put off too many current readers, yet there is enough newness to it all to make it interesting. I’m only pointing out that I don’t see any of this as being all too simple and basic for a newbie to figure out.
@j206 I would disagree with the idea that the number of books has anything to do with being confusing. As a new reader, I do not have to ‘make sense of and differentiate between’ any number of books. The new reader goes and gets a #1 (does not matter which title) and then they get #2 in about a month. That’s it. They do not have to know or even be aware of the relationships between the characters in the rest of the ‘universe’ That is how they are making it more simple. Not by reducing the volume, but by reducing the knowledge required to understand the content. (or at least seemingly reducing, we will see how it all plays out)
@j206 Again, there have been multiple Batman books since the 1940s.
@Conor – Again, I know.
I know there have always been a lot of books, and that there is still going to be. I have no problem with that.
I was just saying that the big news was all about DC making it’s universe to be more friendly and simple for new readers. Nothing I’ve seen so far looks it to me. Don’t get why you keep disagreeing with me saying that.
I’m not contesting how many Bat books there should be or have been. Or how many Batwomen have red hair. I know the score. And I’m cool with it. It works for us the fans of the books.
As a fan myself, I prefer what they are doing to had they taken a bomb to the universe and characters and started from square one. MUCH PREFER. All I’m commenting on is that the big grand headlines about DC taking giant risks and going for the new digital market of readers were a bit overblown.
Again! I’m cool with it as far as us current comic readers are concerned!!! Everything looks just fine. I’m just a bit annoyed at so much hype being sold around all of media when for the most part all that’s happening is some minor cosmetic changes that only comic book fans would even notice. That is all.
@j206 I think you are underselling the changes but we won’t know for sure until September.
I disagree with you because you have yet to put forth a compelling reason as to what isn’t new reader friendly other than two characters with the same hair color and multiple books staring the same character,
@MisterJ – I agree with what you are saying. If a new reader is able to start at #1 and go from there and they are content to stick with the title they are reading, great. But where it becomes confusing is when they start to enjoy what they’re reading and want more. I could have cared less about past continuity and character/universe histories. If anything, when I would read something I wasn’t versed on, it would make me want to check out whatever old story it was in reference to.
There is a big learning curve in understanding how the comics world works. You have a million things going on at once. It takes a lot of time and effort to learn what other books currently being published tie in with a book you are reading and like.
I say this as someone who didn’t start reading comics til my mid 20’s. What took me some time and effort to figuring out how different creative teams could be writing different stories with the same characters at the same time, and neither book have much influence on the other. That was a new concept to me. I read a character and wanted to know everything about their current status in comics. Then was confused to figure out that wasn’t exactly a simple thing.
You have to put yourself in the mind of a non-comic book reader. Be it movies, tv, series of novels, etc. Most all other narrative medium only have one story being told at a time regarding their characters. You don’t have two Harry Potter series telling entirely different stories being released at the same time. You don’t have concurrent tv series about the same characters, with each telling a different arc, airing during the same tv season. And a movie franchise doesn’t start over until a previous version has finished.
I’m not condemning the way comics are. The system is totally cool for those of us who embrace it and love it. But for people who aren’t used to such a complex and diverse medium, it can definitely be a barrier. I know it’s obvious and simple to us. But trust me. That isn’t the case for a good deal of people unfamiliar with comics. Trust me. I try to get friends to read stuff all the time. Not only is it hard to get them to even give the books a chance. Even if they do, teaching them how to read the market and know what books they want to read is ultimately harder.
Like I said to Conor. For us as comic fans, I have zero qualms with the books being published. And I entirely get why they put out the number of books for characters that sell. They’d be silly not too. I’m not arguing with that by any means. I just don’t see it as any different from the current status quo in terms of being more inviting to others. Only thing I see that even suggests that is the #1’s. And that is something that comics have been doing for a while now.
That is going to be the cover to Detective Comics #1? Really. Bloody Doll heads? And the answer to a relaunch is to switch the writers on Detective and Batman. That will really bring in the fans. I do really like the Cover to Batman#1. I hope that will be a good book.
@conor – You’re right. We won’t really know until September. I totally agree on that. At this point it’s just hunches and feeling that we’re getting from these announced books.
I haven’t put forth a compelling reason why it’s not new reader friendly? Really?! I get that you might not agree with my reasoning. But I have more than explained why crazy complicated universes of characters isn’t new reader friendly. It’s funny that the only thing that you seem to have caught was a minor visual comment about the bat girls’ hair.
We as comic fans know that you don’t have to read Batman, Detective Comics, The Dark Knight, and Batman & Robin. And you don’t have to read the 5 or so Green Lantern titles. But new readers don’t. And they don’t have you there to hold their hand when they initially try the books out and get confused as to why Batman and Wolverine are enbarking on 20 adventures at once.
We’re going to have to agree to disagree (although I don’t think I disagree with you as much as you seem to think I do). I’m of the mind that the comic book industry is very complicated to outsiders. You clearly are not. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that you are a lifelong reader, and I am not. It’s just different perspectives. All is good.
Glad to see Snyder continue but Batman and Robin has been below even my low expectations and a new #1 isn’t going to fix it. Ditto for the Finch and Daniel books, I guess, though I haven’t really even bothered to read them and never will most likely.
If DC had any shot at poaching a big name creator for this relaunch, it would have been on Batman. Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, Jeff Parker…? Even Bendis. You can’t tell me none of those guys wouldn’t have been at least interested, difficult contract situation or not.
Yet the status quo largely continues, betraying the fact that DC’s talent pool is weaker than ever.
if anyone would have told me there would be a time where i would be buying wonder woman,aquaman and the JLA but not detective comics i would have called them crazy,i mean dogs and cats living together.
I just don’t understand how of all the talented writers out there DC decides to keep giving Tony Daniel a Batman book. I just don’t see anything special about his writing or his art for that matter… I really would have liked to have seen a few new creative teams rather than just shuffling the same ones around.
@Cormac
While we can’t categorically say the Marvel writing talent is better (though I personally agree), I think DC is accepting that as conventional wisdom and is trying to work around it with these artist/writer combos.
I think it’s a risk similar to same day digital offerings. If the artist/writer thing seems to work, it’ll be big and potentially lure more top tier artists to DC. If it doesn’t, sales probably won’t change much from current levels.
I’m hoping it works out, if for no other reason than to discover a truly great storyteller. While it’s likely not happening, wouldn’t it have been great if they had gotten Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon to write and draw something?
@KenOchalek OK, here’s the elephant in the room with this writer-artist stuff at DC. It PAYS MORE to do double duty on a book. It’s a way to stay competitive and retain talent even though the books they are on may not sell as much.
Disclaimer – i obviously am not privy to details of David Finch’s contract, and I concede it’s possible he gets a flat rate for being exclusive no matter what he does or doesn’t do during the contracted period…
@Mxyzptlk Other than his GREAT take on the Joker in R.I.P., I totally agree – the guy is mediocrity personified. Losing Jock and Francavilla but keeping Daniels, Tomasi, Finch etc? Bleuurrggh.
(but of course no good creative team ever stays around for more than 6 issues or so these days…wait another 6 months and all these books will look different…I hope)
Sorry … but Batman and Robin with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne was something special … I think it will be hard to replicate that kind of chemistry with a “real” father and son team. Guess I’ll have to wait and see what the solicits forecast.
I’m confused … if Dick Grayson is now Nightwing again, how can he still be Batman in Detective Comics?
It certainly isn’t possible with Tomasi writing Damian as a regular bratty 10 year old (rather than an evil genius ninja assassin trapped in a 10 year old body who was raised to be evil but wants desperately to do good). If you completely eliminate all nuance to the character anyway, it hardly matters who is filling the Batboots in question…
Renumbering ‘Tec is insulting. Glad Nightwing is back, I’ll be picking that up and Batgirl. Probably pass on the rest so Doug the math, I’m now picking up fewer DC batbooks. Way to alienate your fans DC.
First off sad to see that Dick will no longer be Batman, but now things are getting back to the way they used to be sort of. It looks like Dick might become Nightwing again. Either way I’ll be picking up Batman and DC. GOD DC comics let all this reboot be worth it.
I’ll buy Batman for Scott Snyder. His ‘Tec run has been amazing. I’ll also pick up Nightwing. I may buy an issue of Red Hood to burn as a protest against Jason Todd being chosen for a solo book over Tim Drake. But that’s it.
And yes, I know that the book is technically called “Red Hood AND The Outlaws.” but do not be deceived: it’s gonna be Todd’s book, and that nauseates me.
Who is behind the domino mask as Nightwing? Is it Dick? Damn!! He was great as Batman. Also, I’m a little puzzled about the return of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. As for Finch’s series, I don’t think it will fly. He takes to long to draw.
As long as Scott Snyder os still on a Batman book I’m happy. His Detective run is the only Batbook I read anymore. I can’t say I’m a fan of this Batman Inc. stuff I’d rather see Bruce Wayne as the mysterious loaner kicking butt and taking names on the streets of Gotham. As for Finch’s series the artwork great now if we’ll ever see more than 2 issues that’s something else entirely
Picking up all four batman #1’s, only keeping up with batman & robin. Father & son dynamic seems really interesting.