Batman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time. He made his landmark first appearance in DETECTIVE COMICS #27 in 1939. The incredible influence of The Dark Knight has transformed the comics industry through the decades, and Batman is just as relevant and beloved by fans today as he was when he was first introduced 75 years ago.

This week, DETECTIVE COMICS hits a milestone by reaching issue #27 again. To mark this momentous occasion, DC Comics presents the mega-size DETECTIVE COMICS #27 special issue (reaching nearly 100 pages!) featuring an all-star roster of Batman creators past and present – including a modern-day tribute to the The Dark Knight’s origin by the incredible team of Eisner Award-winning writer Brad Meltzer and artist Bryan Hitch!

“This is one of the great histories of American mythology, and to me the opportunity to try and do it justice was vital,” Meltzer told USA TODAY, who also ran an exclusive preview of the issue.

“To me, I think when you say that we’re ‘retelling’ the first Batman story, it’s almost doing a disservice,” the writer continued to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ ROBOT 6. “It’s like we’re colorizing an old movie. You can do it, and you can modernize it, but it’s sort of robbing it of its soul. So what we wanted to do was honor the old story – to keep it in tact as much as we could. Then we could lay something new on top of it, so what you’ll see when you read this is that I tried to lay 75 years of Batman’s motivation on top of it. For me, when you look at the original story, the most beautiful part of it is that all the pieces are already there. He may not use the utility belt, but there it is. He may not like Commissioner Gordon, but there he is. All those little details and that stubbornness and determination is front and center.”

For more from Meltzer about his historic contribution to DETECTIVE COMICS #27, check out some full interviews that ran with the writer in USA TODAY, IGN, NERDIST, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ ROBOT 6, and NEWSARAMA.

But that’s not all! DETECTIVE COMICS #27 also features all-new stories by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy, Peter J. Tomasi and Guillem March, Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen, Gregg Hurwitz and Neal Adams, a stunning cover by Greg Capullo and variant cover by legendary Batman writer/artist Frank Miller, and more! Also in this issue, John Layman and Jason Fabok kick off the new storyline “GOTHTOPIA”! It’s a bright, shiny, happy place where dreams come true ... as long as you don’t look at things too closely.

Pick up your copy of DETECTIVE COMICS #27 when it lands in stores this Wednesday.