Question everything you know about the Joker in ‘The Joker Year One’

‘Batman’ goes weekly in February as DC delves into the Joker’s past and future.

DC promises to reveal untold secrets about the origin of the Joker in an upcoming Batman story next year, titled “The Joker Year Zero.,” which will run through three weekly issues in February.

The new storyline is by writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Giuseppe Camuncoli, inker Stefano Nesi, and colorist Alejandro Sánchez, with artist Andrea Sorrentino and colorist Dave Stewart drawing a “juxtaposed” story. It’ll follow the current Batman arc, “Mindbomb,” which also features the Joker.

Here’s a look at the two different art styles, starting with Camuncoli, Nesi and Sánchez’s tribute to The Killing Joke:

And here’s Sorrentino and Stewart’s artwork; they make a great combo for a darker, moodier approach:

Each issue of “The Joker Year Zero” will ship weekly in February. Here’s what to expect from the three-issue arc:

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‘Dawn of DC’ continues into 2024 with ‘Suicide Squad: Dream Team,’ ‘House of Brainiac’ + more

Amanda Waller has big plans for the DCU next year.

If you were wondering if the Dawn of DC — and its snappy graphics — would continue into 2024, you are in luck. Today DC revealed a teaser for the “trinity of evil” that will hit after the big Beast World crossover that kicks off later this month.

Without further ado, here’s the new teaser image, promising something “evil” for next year:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Feed your comics appetite with ‘Zawa + the Belly of the Beast’

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week from Michael Dialynas, David Pepose, Dave Wachter, Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Marv Wolfman, Holly G!, Stuart Moore, June Brigman, Tohar Sherman-Friedman and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This is an extra-large week, with several compelling graphic novels and collections arriving just in time for your holiday shopping needs.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Slugfest | ‘Titans: Beast World’ has giant starfish and lenticular covers

Plus more news and announcements on Canto, Nomads, Batman, Blue Book, Star Wars and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

DC has released a preview of the upcoming Titans: Beast World miniseries, which was announced this past summer. The crossover event will feature a main series by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis and Danny Miki, with various tie-ins throughout.

The story centers on The Necrostar, a giant space starfish that rivals Starro and who the Titans, along with the rest of the DC Universe, team up to fight. Along the way, they somehow end up being turned into animal versions of themselves. Beast Boy, in fact, will show that it takes a giant starfish to stop a giant starfish, as he transforms into a version of Starro himself.

Here’s a preview, along with a look at the main cover, which is by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki and Brad Anderson:

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Aaron + Mahnke will take Batman ‘Off-World’ in November

The writer of ‘Scalped’ and ‘The Other Side’ returns to DC following the end of his exclusive contract with Marvel.

After years — decades, even — of plotting the course of Marvel titles like Thor, Wolverine and the X-Men and Avengers, writer Jason Aaron has returned to DC for a new Batman story.

Aaron will team with artists Doug Mahnke and Jamie Mendoza for Batman: Off-World, which he describes as “a different sort of Batman story.”

“One that sees a young Dark Knight undertaking his very first trip into space,” Aaron said in his newsletter. “A journey that’s inspired by some of the DC books that made me a comics fan as a kid, and ultimately set the course for the rest of my life.”

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‘G’nort’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition’ makes it easy for everyone to be Batman

DC reveals the back cover and more variants for the upcoming special.

In a world where everyone wants to be Batman, DC is making it easy with the release of G’nort’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition next month. The one-shot, which was announced in May, will feature 48 pages of art and two complete stories, but it’s the back cover that Batfans may want to pay attention to.

You might remember back when the title was announced that J. Scott Campbell and Tanya Lehoux have created a variant cover for the title featuring Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle at the beach. Even on his day off, Bruce can’t help but be Batman:

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Christian Ward takes Batman into a ‘City of Madness’ in a new Black Label series

The three-issue series will feature the Court of Owls and a twisted version of Batman.

DC’s solicitations for October arrived today, revealing a project from Christian Ward that originated from a social media post last year.

“One day I’ll do my cosmic horror Batman,” Ward wrote on Twitter (0r X, or whatever it’s called now). Someone was listening, because that image spawned a three-issue, 48-page Black Label series from DC, and it kicks off Oct. 10.

With this being the day after San Diego, it might seem odd that DC wouldn’t have mentioned such a major project at the convention, but there is something appropriate about Ward essentially announcing it on Twitter. Here’s the original tweet:

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Rafael Grampá celebrates Batman Day with ‘Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham’

The Black Label miniseries will follow a Batman who gives up being Bruce Wayne.

Mesmo Delivery creator and Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child artist Rafael Grampá will return to Gotham this fall for Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham, a Black Label miniseries that will arrive just in time for Batman Day on Sept. 16.

In the miniseries, Batman will decide to “kill off” his Bruce Wayne identity and dedicate his life to fighting crime as Batman. Mat Lopes joins him on colors.

“When his origin was introduced in Batman #1 in the 1940s, Bruce Wayne swore revenge by the spirits of his murdered parents and—driven by his belief in an omen—became Batman,” said Grampá. “For me, this subtle aspect of Bruce’s belief system has always been the fundamental core of Batman, and through that lens I recognized this untold story. Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham explores ‘who he is and why he came to be.’ It makes my dream of bringing my own interpretation of Batman to life a reality as I delve into the darkest corners of his essence. I sincerely hope readers enjoy the ride.”

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Batman and Catwoman face a ‘Gotham War’ this fall

Dawn of DC continues in the fall with a crossover between Gotham’s most tumultuous couple.

DC Comics has announced a new crossover coming in the fall — Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War, part of their Dawn of DC publishing initiative. The story will run through two one-shots, the regular Batman and Catwoman titles, and a miniseries that will focus on The Red Hood.

Chip Zdarsky and Tini Howard, writers of Batman and Catwoman, have been working toward this story since they each started on their respective title.

“From the moment Tini and I started working on these titles, we realized we had a huge opportunity to build toward something that would shake up the power structure of Gotham City,” Zdarsky said. “The Gotham War is just that: relationships explode, relationships are formed, and it all leads to massive changes! Being able to take these kinds of big swings together has been extremely exciting.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Shazam! flies again in a new series from Waid + Mora

This week brings new comics and graphic novels from Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Si Spurrier, Phil Noto, Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh, Peach Momoko, Stephanie Phillips, Alvaro Lopez, Noah Van Sciver, Sammy Harkham, Claire Duplan and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week brings a big anniversary issue for Batman, a prelude to the X-Men event Fall of X, the debut of Dark Horse’s Richard Corben library and much more.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Shazam! flies again in a new series from Waid + Mora”

DC’s Webtoon series will come to print later this year

DC and Webtoon have announced collections of ‘Wayne Family Adventures,’ ‘Vixen’ and ‘Zatanna & the Ripper.’

The three webcomics series produced by DC Comics and Webtoon will come to print later this year, starting with Batman: Wayne Family Adventures in August.

The webcomic by writer CRC Payne, lead artist StarBite, storyboard artist Maria Li, background artist Lan Ma, letterer Kielamel Sibal, and colorists C.M. Cameron, Camille Cruz and Jean Kim debuted on the platform back in 2021 and is still going; it’s up to 76 episodes now. It was followed by Vixen: NYC by Jasmine Walls and Maniu Azumi, which is up to episode 44, and Zatanna & The Ripper by Sarah Dealy and Syro, which is up to episode 38.

“Fans can’t get enough of our DC and Webtoon content, and expanding DC’s creative partnership with Webtoon into print with books like Batman: Wayne Family Adventures reflects this demand,” said Anne DePies, DC’s senior vice president and general manager. “Each page of these new volumes is meticulously reproduced to be read seamlessly in book narrative format. DC’s continuing partnership with Webtoon combines legendary franchises with new technologies and global fandoms, and we can’t wait to get these new print editions into your hands.”

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DC will bring Superman, Batman and Joker manga to English audiences

‘Superman vs. Meshi,’ ‘Batman: Justice Buster,’ and ‘Joker: One Operation Joker’ will arrive on DC Universe Infinite before coming to print in the U.S.

Another announcement from DC coming out of the ComicsPro meeting currently happening in Pittsburgh: they plan to translate and publish three manga published in Japan by Kodansha for English-speaking audiences.

The three manga — Superman vs. Meshi, Batman: Justice Buster, and Joker: One Operation Joker — will be released as digital comics for DC Universe Infinite subscribers before being collected in print later this year.

Here’s a look at the covers and descriptions for each of them:

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