- THE BAT-MAN STRIKES BACK

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Mar 18, '08 8:30 AM
for everyone

Updates on Gotham Knight, Death Mask, and Grant Morrison's Batman R.I.P.

Batman has taken a temporary backseat with all the hoopla surrounding the Marvel summer releases of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Ever since the huge boom in hype primarily due to the unfortunate passing of Heath Ledger, we have heard little about DC's favorite caped crusader. Yes, the Harvey Dent viral campaigns continue to draw the attention of hardcore Batman fans. But as far as mainstream full-on promotion goes, The Dark Knight has relatively been keeping a low profile.

But being the multi-cultural icon that is Batman, it's almost impossible not to hear from him in other media. So Lo and Behold! Bask yourselves with Bat-mania with updates in Animation, Manga (yes, manga!), and of course comic books!

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT
Release Date, Cover Artwork, Stills and the voice of Batman revealed

The DVD/BD cover art for Gotham Knight has been released. But more importantly, the six-part animanthology (I thought of that one myself. lol) finally has a release date! We will be able to watch Gotham Knight in the comfort of our own homes come July 8, 2008. Exactly ten days before the release of The Dark Knight in North America.

How awesome would it be to watch Gotham Knight in Blu-Ray? Pretty fuckin' awesome that's how! Along with the cover art came this description:

Acclaimed screenwriters including David Goyer (Batman Begins), Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Alan Burnett (Batman The Animated Series) join forces with revered animation filmmakers on six spellbinding chapters chronicling Batman's transition from novice crimefighter to Dark Knight. These globe-spanning adventures pit Batman against the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unerring marksman Deadshot. Using an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry from Wayne Industries, Batman’s ethical boundaries exist only where he chooses to place them, leaving some fearful of his power. The sharp storytelling, complemented by stylish art from some of the world's most visionary animators, masterfully depicts the blurred lines of Batman as man, myth and legend.

It's just been announced that Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond), will be the voice of Batman in all six shorts in Gotham Knight. Read more about the voice cast here

Gotham Knight Stills

Click Images to Embiggen

Watch a 10-minute preview of Batman: Gotham Knight

BATMAN: DEATH MASK
A 10-page Preview of The Coming Batman Manga Comic

As if Gotham Knight wasn't enough, DC will also be releasing a four-issue miniseries in the tradition of Japanese style Manga. Neccesary? Not really. Awesome? Totally. The comic will be printed in Black & White, and the pages are arranged the same way as traditional Manga comics. For further details, here's the solicitation of the first issue from DC comics.

BATMAN: DEATH MASK #1 (OF 4)

Written by Yoshinori Natsume; Art and Cover by Natsume

Acclaimed artist Yoshinori Natsume (Toguri) makes his American comics debut with this Prestige Format miniseries that presents an original Batman manga tale! There's a new serial killer in Gotham, and he may have ties to the training Bruce Wayne acquired as a young man in Japan. Does the murderer know Bruce Wayne is the Batman?

Batman | 48pg. | B&W | $2.99 US

On Sale April 9, 2008

-DC comics

Here's the manga-tastic preview. Don't forget to read the panels starting from right to left!

Click Images to Biggerize

BATMAN R.I.P.
Grant Morrison preps one of DC's flagship titles for a major shake-up this April

A resurrection and three psychotic Batmen later, Morrison is now eyeing to kill Batman himself. Crazy guy, that Grant. I wasn't too keen about this idea when I first heard about it. But after reading interviews where Morrison talks about his diabolical plans for the Batman mythos, I instantly jumped into the R.I.P. bandwagon. Be sure to check it out geeks, I have a feeling this story arc will be an instant modern classic when the first issue hits stores on April 30.

FROM LEFT: Tim Drake holding the seemingly lifeless body of Bruce Wayne (Robin #175 On sale June '08). A dramatic role reversal of Jason Todd's death on the hands of The Joker in Batman #428... in the infamous "A Death in The Family" storyline".

Want to know more? Here's the solicitation for Batman #676, the first installment of BATMAN R.I.P.

BATMAN #676
Written by Grant Morrison; Art and variant cover by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea; Cover by Alex Ross

Are you ready for "Batman R.I.P."?
Beginning the epic story that will change the legend of the Dark Knight forever! Everything in Grant Morrison's groundbreaking run on Batman has been leading to this story, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Who will live? Who will die? Who will be Batman? The answers are sure to shock you in "Batman R.I.P.," featuring artwork by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea and covers by Alex Ross.

Batman | 32pg. | Color | $2.99 US
On Sale April 30, 2008
-DC Comics

RELATED POSTS: Gotham Knight (Sneak Peek) || The Dark Knight Trailer || Batman's Gonna Get Shot in The Face || First Appearance || Ra's al Ghul's Resurrection

Tags: comics, dc comics, komiks, batman, grant morrison, gotham knight, death mask, batman r.i.p., comicbookgeek

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25 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

neuroticinfinity wrote on Mar 18

oh yes, Year of the BAT! Hopefully will be more than enough to erase painful memories of the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul from last year

zenstrive wrote on Mar 18

I WANT BATMAN DEAD AND RISE ANEW!

moonlitnights wrote on Mar 18

i don't really want the batman to die, but if it's time for someone to take over bruce wayne's mantle, then it's time. I think the idea of resurrecting bruce is getting old. Green Arrow came back, Todd came back, Ra'as Al Ghul can't really die, Vandal Savage really can't die, Hal Jordan's lingering around, and Deadman's technically alive. That, in addition to several other comic book revivals I can't recall. So We should just have a new batman like how they're having a new cap america.

gidigidi wrote on Mar 18

death mask nya jelek ah! natsume yoshinori is not good at drawing batty! batty nya otomo lebih oke.....(punya nya asamiya juga lumayanlah)

comicbookgeek wrote on Mar 18, edited on Mar 18

@neuroticinfinity: I have a really good feeling about this storyline. The Resurrection of Ra's was a collaboration between Dini & Morrison. As good as it looked on paper, it just didn't translate into a great arc. Hopefully since Grant has full control of R.I.P., we'll be getting a much much better story.. not to mention Tony Daniel's beautiful art.

@moonlitnights: Resurrections will always be part of comic books. It's a fact that every fan should learn to accept. It's never been a question of "if", but rather of "when" or "how". They always come back, that's a given. It's the manner of their return that's important. As long as it is done with ingenuity and respect to the character, then all is good in the geekiverse.

@gidigidi: I don't speak Bahasa, but I think I got the gist of your comment. I'm not really a big fan of Manga. But I liked what I saw in the preview. I'm still weighing whether I'll be picking it up though.. I'm poor enough as it is without adding more titles to my pull list. Heh.

j4ever wrote on Mar 18

ZOMG. BATMAN R.I.P. This is a must read.

taddeovalestra wrote on Mar 18

aw great theyre gonna kill batman... sheesh... as if Knightfall isnt enough.

fauxx wrote on Mar 18

Die Batman.
go Moon Knight. :D

obi1thejedi wrote on Mar 18

DiDio hasnt leaked anything about RIP. But personally, i would love to see Batman's death (without any hope of resurrection). :D

defiantcapt wrote on Mar 18

I'm gonna see it this way:

Nightwing takes over the Mantle of the Bat.
Robin decides to retire-permanently.
Azrael returns.Looks over Bluhaven.The Huntress keeps an eye over Valley.
Then the entire DC Universe is rebooted like ZERO HOUR.Everyone who was dead comes back to life.Everyone who was maimed or crippled returns in fighting form.Then they restart again with Issue #1.

Did I miss anything?

andy2519 wrote on Mar 18

BATMAN RIP?
i'm a huge Dick Grayson and Tim Drake fan, and I trust Morrison to do this kind of thing justice...

jeniong wrote on Mar 18

they are going to ruin the mythos if they kill Batman only to resurrect him for some commercial, consumerist, pathetic pathological need. superman part two. oh spare us grant morrison. let the dead bury their dead. have some spine and throw the shovel.

toxicdream wrote on Mar 19

this is going to be an instant classic... i guess batman has gone through everything cept death

reinardsantos wrote on Mar 19

Ugh... Batman R.I.P.
Trying to pull a Captain America, DC?

uinfluence wrote on Mar 19

ohhhhhhhhhhhh....

I'll buy them all! Now I have to save up. The hell with Hulk and Ironman, Batman will rule 2008. =)

comicbookgeek wrote on Mar 19

I don't think Bruce Wayne will literally die. The solicitation for Batman #678 (which is Part 3 of RIP) goes a little something like this:

"Bruce Wayne is now deranged and dissociated, wandering homeless in the alleys of Gotham City. Is there a chance that Bruce can rebuild his Batman identity from scratch, or is this truly the end for one of the world's finest heroes?"

I'm loving R.I.P.'s concept the more information I hear about it. On Batman dying, maybe he will, maybe he won't. Either way, I'm totally on board for this.

@reinardsantos: While we're on the subject of pulling things, why don't we just go ahead and say that Marvel tried to pull a Superman when they killed Cap.. Which of course I think is an absurd idea. I think that during these cases, the Big Two did their storylines because they believed that it was the best way to move their respective franchises into new and uncharted territory... and not because they're trying to emulate one another.

jeniong wrote on Mar 19

people... people.. curiosity kills the cat.. or in this case.. the bat?

toxicdream wrote on Mar 20

remember when Batman said to Superman something like - the last time you ever inspired people was when you were dead' haha