Future State and Infinite Frontier collide in an event that will feature Scarecrow, Jace Fox, Catwoman and more.
DC Comics has announced its next Batman-themed event, Fear State, which will run through several of the Bat titles starting in August.
In its press release, DC said Fear State will be “the launching point for several new series and plotlines across all Batman-family titles, setting a new status quo for 2022.” And one of the tie-in books for the event will star Jace Fox, a.k.a. the Next Batman from DC’s Future State event, as John Ridley returns to write the character following The Next Batman: Second Son.
Here’s a look at all the tie-ins arriving in August:
James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno and Jordie Bellaire will bring original horror to DC’s Black Label imprint with The Nice House on the Lake, a new creator-owned, 12-issue series.
Tynion described it as a personal horror story to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Sometimes it helps to look at yourself from the least flattering angle, especially when you are dealing with horror,” Tynion told The Hollywood Reporter. “Horror is a genre that is all about taking about societal fears and personal fears. And this is me taking apart those fears in this book.”
Jim Gordon, Punchline and Harper Row will feature heavily in the new series.
Batman’s worst enemy and best ally will get the spotlight in a new monthly series starting in March. While the Joker gets his name on the marquee, the new comic by James Tynion IV and Guillem March will also prominently feature Jim Gordon.
But wait, there’s more: Each issue will also feature a back-up story by Tynion IV, co-writer Sam Johns and artist Mirka Andolfo, starring the Joker’s latest sidekick, Punchline, and Harper Row, a.k.a. Bluebird.
“When I was approached by DC about the concept of an ongoing series spotlighting The Joker, I thought, ‘What would that book even look like?,’” said Tynion. “I’m excited to share this story in a way that honors everything that a series about The Joker can be, while coming at it from an exciting, unexpected angle. I’m also thrilled to continue working with Sam and Mirka to expand the Punchline story we began in November as a back-up feature in this new ongoing Joker series. The Joker War was only the beginning of the terror and mayhem we’re creating!”
The series by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas and Aditya Bidikar will continue with new issues next year.
BOOM! Studios has announced that Wynd, the five-issue miniseries by The Woods team of James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas and Aditya Bidikar, will return with issue #6 in May.
The series, which was originally supposed to be a graphic novel, was released early and as a miniseries as a way to help retailers when the comics industry returned from its COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year.
“James, Michael, and Aditya have built a world so steeped in magic and adventure, it’s been an absolute pleasure to see it all unfold,” said Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Wynd’s story is far from over, and we can’t wait to show fans and new readers alike what’s in store for the magical winged boy and his friends as they journey across Esseriel in search of the place they truly belong.”
A round-up of news from DC, Marvel, Image Comics, Valiant and more.
Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.
The Dark Nights: Death Metal event grew again this week, as DC announced two new anthology one-shots for November prior to releasing their full November solicitations.
The first one is focused on Lobo and is titled Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hours Exxxtreme! #1. It will feature “Uncle Lobo” telling “familiar yet freaky stories of the DC Universe, exactly as he remembers them: with blood and guts and exxxtreme gratuitous violence.” The creators involved include Frank Tieri, Becky Cloonan, Dale Eaglesham and more, with a cover by Kyle Hotz.
If that one isn’t ridiculous-sounding enough, the second one, Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs “offers the curious—and the brave—a glimpse into the nightmare realities that the Batman Who Laughs has created in tales by creators who know what it means to have a truly twisted sense of misfit humor.” As you can tell by the cover, one of those worlds features evil super pets. It includes stories by Amanda Conner, Patton Oswalt, Jimmy Palmiotti, Scott Snyder, Brandon Thomas, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Chad Hardin and more.
“Back when I first introduced Punchline, I said many times that this wasn’t going to be a flash-in-the-pan character. That I had big plans for her moving forward, that would drive big story next year and beyond,” said Tynion IV. “Joker War is over, but Punchline’s plans have only just begun. I’m thrilled to be telling this frightening story that expands her past, and sets up her future, with the amazing Sam Johns, and the incredible Mirka Andolfo. This is only the beginning!”
‘Razorblades’ features comics, prose and artwork by a variety of contributors.
Batman writer James Tynion IV has launched not only a new webstore, but also a horror magazine containing comics and prose. Tynion is curating the stories with Steve Foxe, and also contributing some work of his own.
The magazine includes two new comics by Tynion: “Washing Machine” with artist Andy Belanger and a preview of “The Adventures of Killboy” with artist Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, which Tynion says he plans to serialize in the future. Other contributors include Sam Johns, DaNi, Michael Dialynas, Marguerite Bennett, Werther Dell’Edera, Lonnie Nadler, Jenna Cha, Michael Walsh, and more.
New ongoing series will follow a conspiracy theorist and the organization dedicated to covering them up.
James Tynion IV seems to be competing for the title of comic’s busiest writer (if he hasn’t claimed it already). This week Image Comics announced a new title by the writer of Wynd and Batman, among many others, titled The Department of Truth.
Tynion will team with artist Martin Simmonds, whose work you may know from Friendo, Dying is Easy and Punk’s Not Dead. They’re joined by letterer Aditya Bidikar and designer Dylan Todd.
“It is the story of a young man named Cole Turner recruited into a shadowy organization within the United States government that makes sure that conspiracy theories stay conspiracy theories, a job that will push him to his own limits as he grapples with the nature of truth, history, the human condition and the American dream,” Tynion wrote in his email newsletter. “It is a conspiracy thriller, told with a horror edge.”
The story leads into ‘Batman’ #92, which arrives in June.
Batman made his Instagram debut this week in a comic that will serve as a “prelude” to Batman #92, which is set to land in stores on June 9.
“Hey! While on break, I cooked up a handful of prelude stories with Guillem March to give you a taste of Gotham while you’re waiting for Batman to return next month,” writer James Tynion IV said on Twitter. “They’ll be on DC’s Instagram, in their stories. The first of them is up now, featuring PUNCHLINE!”
Originally scheduled for November, the graphic novel will now be a miniseries.
BOOM! Studios has announced that Wynd, the graphic novel by The Woods team of James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas and Aditya Bidikar will now arrive as a miniseries, starting in June. It was originally scheduled for November.
“This unprecedented early release of Wynd allows us to deliver one of our biggest new series of the year to readers sooner than expected and provides comic shop retailers with another hit series in one of the most important months of the year,” said Matt Gagnon, Editor in Chief, BOOM! Studios. “We know that readers are looking for entertainment that transports us to another world, delivering characters you love and a journey you can’t wait to follow month to month–-which James, Michael and Aditya deliver in this incredible fantasy epic.”
News from Random House, BOOM! Studios, IDW and more.
Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.
Congratulations to Random House Graphic, which officially launched this week! RH Graphic is a new line of graphic novels for young readers, spearheaded by Gina Gagliano, former marketing director for First Second.
James Tynion IV, Tony S. Daniel, Danny Miki and Tomeu Morey will take over ‘Batman’ in 2020.
It’s Batman Day, and to celebrate, DC has announced the new creative team that will take over the flagship Batman title next year. James Tynion IV, Tony S. Daniel, Danny Miki and Tomeu Morey will chronicle the adventures of the Dark Knight in January.
“I loved writing stories for Eternal, Detective Comics and even Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but my desire to tell a Batman story, one focusing solely on Bruce Wayne instead of an ensemble, is what drove me back to the Batcave,” said Tynion. “I want to dig deep into the Bat himself and tell an epic story that pushes him to his absolute limits. I want to tell a Batman story like the kinds I grew up loving, one that embraces the horror and gothic elegance of Gotham and dives deep into Batman’s greatest villains.”
