As we’ve noted before, Batman Day returns on Saturday, Sept. 19, and DC is once again turning the annual celebration of the Dark Knight into a global comics event.
This year’s festivities will include a new Batman/Absolute Batman one-shot, free comics, new hardcover collections, Batman masks and activities at comic shops around the world.
If you’re looking for ways to celebrate, here are five things to put on your Batman Day itinerary.
1. Find a Batman Day event near you
Probably the best way to celebrate Batman Day is to actually get out to your local comic shop.
DC says thousands of comic shops, bookstores, publishers and retail partners across North America, Latin America, Europe and Japan will participate, with events including creator signings, cosplay contests, giveaways, exclusive merchandise, charity initiatives and other fan activities.
And there are already some interesting events on the schedule. In my own state, I see a couple …
- In San Antonio, Heroes & Fantasies will have Batman cosplay photo opportunities, local artists, giveaways and fundraising for ComicBooks For Kids.
- In Austin, Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy will host a signing with Patricia Peters, Michelle Pfeiffer’s stunt double from Batman Returns, along with cosplay photo opportunities and a Tim Burton Batmobile replica.
There are a few more listed in DC’s press release, and the company says more information about participating retailers and their activities will be available at DC.com/batman. But be sure to check with your local comic shop to see what they might have planned.
2. Grab a Batman mask
Wait, this might be the best way to celebrate Batman Day — pretend you are actually Batman!
Participating comic shops will have four different paper Batman masks available: Batman, Absolute Batman, Hush Batman and The Dark Knight Returns Batman. The masks were drawn by Ryan Sook in the styles of Jorge Jiménez, Nick Dragotta, Jim Lee and Frank Miller, respectively.
If you need an excuse to show up at the comic shop wearing a Batman mask — not sure why you would; I wear one to the grocery store — now you have it. .
3. Take your pick from five new Batman hardcovers
If you’d rather celebrate Batman Day by adding some books to your shelf, DC has five major hardcover releases arriving around the event:
- Batman Vol. 1: Daylight by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez — $29.99
- Batman ’89 by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones — $29.99
- Batman: H2SH Volume One by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee — $29.99
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition by Frank Miller — $44.99
- Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham – The Deluxe Edition by Rafael Grampá — $34.99
There are some particularly nice Batman Day extras among them. Batman Vol. 1: Daylight gets a new Jiménez cover inspired by the cover to Absolute Batman #1, while Batman ’89 comes with an exclusive dust jacket featuring artwork from the 1989 Batman movie and a digital code for the film.
The new Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition also gets a new Raymond Swanland cover and digital codes for the animated adaptations.
4. Read some Batman comics for free
If you’re looking for some free Batman comics to read without leaving your home, DC has you covered there, too.
DC Universe Infinite will offer a curated collection of free-to-read Batman comics as part of the celebration, including Absolute Batman #1-3 and the complete Batman: Wayne Family Adventures series.
The collection will also be available through DC GO!, DC Universe Infinite‘s mobile-friendly vertical-scrolling format. I would also expect that digital comics vendors like Comixology and Neon Ichiban will also have Batman Day promotions or sales around the same time.
For DC Universe Infinite members who play LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, you can connect a DCUI account to a WB Games account will unlock a Comic Rack Batcave Prop, while premium DCUI subscribers will also receive a Jarro Batcave Prop. And if you’re not already a DCUI subscriber, DC is offering a special 30-day free trial tied to Batman Day.
5. Pick up Batman of Two Worlds
Finally, this is probably the biggest one. It’s certainly the one I’m most anticipating.
Batman of Two Worlds is a new one-shot featuring two all-new Batman stories in a single comic, pairing the main DC Universe’s Batman with his counterpart from the Absolute Universe. It will be available at participating comic shops on Batman Day for $2.99.
The main Batman story comes from writer Matt Fraction and artist Javi Fernández, with colors by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles. Scott Snyder and Nick Derington team up for the Absolute Batman story, with colors by Frank Martin and letters by Tom Napolitano. I’m pretty excited to see some new work from Derington in particular.
As DC previously announced, the two stories put the two versions of Batman side by side and explore how each approaches the same problem.
“Without giving too much away,” said Snyder, “both stories are about theft, what theft means in one world versus the other, and what Batman’s form of justice looks like in each. That was the guiding principle that gave us the opportunity to tell two stories that celebrate each interpretation.”
“At the heart of it, it’s really simple,” said Fraction. “One problem, two solutions. Each version of Batman has his own way of working and his own solution to that problem. The fun was putting them side by side so you can see the similarities, the differences, and the unique flavor and texture of each world.”
So if you’re only going to do one thing on Batman Day, go to your local comic shop and pick up Batman of Two Worlds. That’s what I plan on doing!