Batman is undoubtedly one of the most in demand heroes in comics, fans just can’t get enough of the caped crusader. As a result DC has a multitude of Batman related comics all running at once in order to satisfy the reader’s appetite. We have Batman: the Brave and the Bold, Batman/Superman, The Batman & Scooby-doo Mysteries and that’s just naming a few of the ongoing issues right now. There’s plenty of comics which is great because we won’t be getting a movie anytime soon considering James Gunn apparently hates the Batman films.
But one particular story has fans pretty excited: Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham has been generating quite the buzz. But what exactly is this new storyline? And why are fans so excited to finally read it?
Why all the hype?
The Gargoyle of Gotham will be a four-issue mini series, it was pretty heavily advertised at the SDCC which might explain why there is generally more buzz for this one. The story is also unique on its own as it portrays Batman in a way that he’s never been seen before.
What is the story?
In this story, the Dark Knight decides to “kill” Bruce Wayne and exist exclusively as his alter-ego in order to better deal with the wave of crime that is overwhelming Gotham. No secret identity and no Bruce Wayne allows the writer to give us an entirely dedicated Batman, one who appears to be a lot more brutal judging by some of the panels that have been released so far.
What’s also pretty exciting is that the short comic run promises an entirely new rogues gallery for Batman to deal with. Batman villains are some of the best in the business, but it can get a bit boring when we’ve had him facing off against the same handful of villains for more than 80 years in most cases.
Across the four issues we’ll see Batman tracking a serial killer who’s murders seem random at first, but as they go on, we start to realize that the murders are all connected to each other as well as connected to Batman himself. Whoever this new villain is, they will hopefully be a breath of fresh air for the franchise.
Who is the comic’s creator?
Yet another reason to be excited for the upcoming comic is because of who created it. Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham is both drawn and written by Rafael Grampá, an artist/writer who has been involved in the comic book scene for over a decade and a half working on the likes of Hellblazer. His penciling and inking is so good that it’s capable of improving the story it’s paired with in some cases and the few panels we’ve seen for this upcoming run look to be some of his best work yet.
This new series marks Grampá’s writing debut at DC although he’s already had plenty of experience writing and illustrating with his 2008 graphic novel, Mesmo Delivery for which he won an Eisner Award.
When is it releasing?
The first issue for Grampá’s upcoming mini series will be available to purchase from the 12th of September. However, there is yet to be any confirmation on the release date for the other three issues.