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A teaser image from Joshua Williamson and Jorge Molina’s upcoming Batman run subtly hints at the return of Batman’s global superhero network.
With current Batman writer James Tynion IV stepping away from his DC projects to launch a line of creator-owned work on Substack, longtime DC writer Joshua Williamson will take over the ongoing series this December. Slated to begin with Batman #118, Williamson will be joined by acclaimed artist Jorge Molina, with DC releasing a first look at Molina’s cover for the first two issues, showcasing a new look for the Dark Knight.
However, eagle-eyed fans have noted that the design is reminiscent of the eclectic Batman, Inc. era, with Tynion himself hinting that the costume change would provide a clue to Williamson and Molina’s opening arc.
Batman, Inc. came as the finale to Grant Morrison’s lengthy run writing various Batman titles from 2006 through 2013. Following the return of Bruce Wayne after being transported through time and space during the 2008 crossover event Final Crisis, Batman decided to take his crimefighting crusade global, with Bruce publicly declaring a partnership with the Dark Knight to finance and sponsor heroes from various countries with similar superhero motifs. This included everyone from the British Dynamic Duo Knight & Squire to Jiro Osamu, the Batman of Japan. Batman, Inc. would be relaunched during the New 52 era before the global initiative was shelved after a harrowing showdown with the shadow organizations Leviathan and Spyral.
The Caped Crusader’s costume, complete with the elevated yellow oval Bat-Symbol on the chest and vertical piping along the torso, matches the initial Batman, Inc. series design before the New 52 relaunch. To underscore the Batman, Inc. connection, DC’s advance solicitation information for its Batman titles in November revealed that, in the aftermath of the upcoming crossover event “Fear State,” Batman will be departing from Gotham City for a time. This absence will be felt across all of the other Batman titles being published at the time while hinted at setting up the next Bat-centric crossover event “Shadows of the Bat,” slated to unfold next year and springing from the pages of Detective Comics.
Given the depleted state of Bruce’s finances in the wake of having his funds seized by the Joker during the previous crossover event “Joker War,” it is unlikely that the Dark Knight will have the capital to continue financing superhero activities out of his own pocket. Should Batman, Inc. make a return as the Caped Crusader leaves Gotham following “Fear State,” the dynamic may be inverted: Instead of Batman supporting the international heroes he inspired, he may be seeking them for help as he rebuilds his approach to being Batman by going on a trip around the world, not unlike how he first trained to become the World’s Greatest Detective and one of the most formidable superheroes in the world all those years ago.
Such a global odyssey would not be the first time Batman has gone international to rediscover his crimefighting roots. Following Infinite Crisis, Bruce traveled around the world with Dick Grayson and Tim Drake to revisit the intense, global training he undertook to create Batman in the first place. Now, Bruce might not be looking to rebuild his superhero legacy from the ground up. But after surely being traumatized by the harrowing events of “Fear State” and the Scarecrow’s plot likely frightening him to his very core, some time away from Gotham and in the company of the people he inspired could remind Batman why he created a superhero global network in the first place.
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