How great was the first Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III issue of DETECTIVE COMICS? Wonderful characterization, beautiful, mind-blowing art and a frightening new villain in Gotham. Well, there’s more.

In the second part of “Elegy,” Batwoman captures her enemy, a madwoman known only as Alice, who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as fodder – including Kate. But when the tables are turned, Batwoman finds herself in a hallucinatory nightmare that brings the past crashing into the present, with hints of a threat that could bring a deadly conclusion to the lives of every man, woman and child in Gotham. So…yeah. Not very low stakes at all.

So, while I try to get used to all this west coast madness, why not enjoy a few pages from the next issue, which hits 7/29?

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Yeah, yeah. Back to the grind. What could make starting the working week again a bit better? How about a STREETS OF GOTHAM cover by Dustin Nguyen? Sure, it won't teleport you back home to bed, but it sure is pretty to look at.

We promised you more Bat-news on Monday, so here we go. And, yes, it does have something to do with the lovely Frazer Irving cover you see above.

ARKHAM REBORN #1 (of 3), written by David Hine with interior art by Jeremy Haun, picks up after the events of BATTLE FOR THE COWL. After the Black Mask's destruction of Arkham Asylum, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham has rebuilt the Asylum following the design of his mad uncle Amadeus. Intended as a model for enlightened treatment of mental illness, the building soon mutates into a torture house, and the inmates find themselves trapped in a living hell. And when Jeremiah starts hearing a voice from beyond the grave, it becomes painfully clear that you can't really get rid of the crazy when it comes to Arkham Asylum.

This new mini, which reunites the creative team behind BATTLE FOR THE COWL: ARKHAM ASYLUM, hits 10/28.

It's become something of a tradition here at The Source to start the week with some news, and we've got a nice bit here, with more to come later this week.

You all saw the preview pages from Judd Winick and Mark Bagley's first BATMAN issue, right? To say it's essential reading is an understatement. Heck, for us to say anything at all might be pushing it. So, we gave Judd a quick ring and asked him for the 101 on why this arc is so integral to the new Dark Knight. Judd?:

"This is Dick Grayson's first chapter as Batman. Despite all his training, despite growing up at Bruce Wayne's side, it's a hard transition. He's going to make mistakes, and he's going to pay for them. But it all begins here."

And the fun doesn't stop there. Starting in October, after the conclusion of his "Long Shadow" arc, Judd Winick and Mark Bagley will pass the BATMAN baton to writer/artist Tony Daniel, who'll be pulling double-duty on the title for six issues. You may recall Daniel did a pretty bang-up job on a little thing called BATTLE FOR THE COWL, which set the stage for all the Batman excitement going on now. Because we're all about consistency here at The Source, we got Tony chatting about his plans for a certain Caped Crusader:

"It’s a very exciting time right now. I’ve done my research, I've chosen my players, and I’ve outlined six months worth of story and I’m in the scripting phase of my first issue. We’ll be seeing the return of  some once-familiar faces,  faces, I can say, who are not so friendly to Gotham. I’ll be introducing a new character to the city of Gotham. There are also a few surprises in store that I hope will get people excited. "