Writer/artist Tony Daniel continues to pit Batman against the Black Mask in his latest BATMAN issue. While trapped in the crime lord's headquarters, The Dark Knight must find a way to escape before all of Gotham City falls prey to the Mask's lethal toxins. Guest-starring Catwoman, Penguin, Robin and the Reaper, BATMAN #696 hits 2/17.
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Why stop with BRIGHTEST DAY, right? Click below for a look at all the Batman-related titles shipping in April, including BATMAN AND ROBIN, STREETS OF GOTHAM, BATGIRL and OUTSIDERS.
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM — MADNESS HC
Advance-solicited • On sale June 23 • 112 pg, FC, $19.99 US
Written by SAM KIETH • Art and cover by SAM KIETH
An original Batman graphic novel set in Arkham Asylum from Sam Kieth, creator of THE MAXX!
It is the most feared house in all of Gotham City. It contains the worst that the city has to offer. It is the place The Dark Knight’s most dangerous and psychotic foes call home. Writer/artist Sam Kieth, creator of THE MAXX and artist of the acclaimed miniseries LOBO: HIGHWAY TO HELL, invites you to spend 24 hours in Arkham Asylum – the most unsettling house in the DC Universe.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #11
On sale APRIL 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by ANDY CLARKE & SCOTT HANNA
Cover by FRANK QUITELY
1:25 Variant cover by ANDY CLARKE
“Batman vs. Robin” part 2 of 3! The Dynamic Duo fight it out in the ultimate duel to the finish. Meanwhile, Robin’s mother, Talia al Ghul, sends an old adversary of Dick Grayson’s to complete the job that her son may not be able to stomach!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
BATMAN: THE WIDENING GYRE #6
On sale APRIL 28 • 6 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by KEVIN SMITH
Art by WALTER FLANAGAN
Cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
1:25 Variant cover by GENE HA
Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan’s Batman tale comes to its startling end! Thanks to Silver St. Cloud, Bruce is trying to learn how to trust people. But Batman is an integral part of who he is, so how can he really trust anyone? Batman even has a run-in with Catwoman because of his relationship with Silver. And when he decides to put all of his trust into someone, will he be rewarded...or punished?
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
BATMAN #698
On sale APRIL 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by TONY DANIEL
Art by GUILLEM MARCH
Cover by TONY DANIEL
Only two months until BATMAN #700! As the landmark issue nears, Dick Grayson’s life as The Dark Knight heats up in a big way. With Black Mask out of the way for good, the Falcone crime family attempts to fill that void – with no regard for the safety of Gotham City’s citizens! And what’s going on with the Riddler?
DETECTIVE COMICS #864
On sale APRIL 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by DAVID HINE
Co-feature written by GREG RUCKA
Art by JEREMY HAUN
Co-feature art by CULLY HAMNER
Cover by CLIFF CHIANG
The inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over DETECTIVE COMICS in “Beneath the Mask” Part 1 of 2! It’s Black Mask verses Jeremiah Arkham for control of the asylum. But what of the enigmatic Three Beauties, and how does Batman fit into the mad plan? Everything that was set up and teased in BATTLE FOR THE COWL: ARKHAM ASYLUM and ARKHAM REBORN is at last revealed, but the answers to the mysteries just might drive everyone – including Batman – mad!
Then, in the co-feature, the spotlight is shone on Renee’s personal life. But just who knows about her secret identity, and what will they do with that information? That is the question...
BATGIRL #9
On sale APRIL 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art by LEE GARBETT & TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
The conclusion to “Batgirl Rising” begins here with part one of the four-part “Flood” storyline! A string of bizarre, technology-based “suicides” gets the attention of both Batgirl and Oracle, but for very different reasons. And the two heroes will soon realize that they’re the real targets of a nefarious madman Hell-bent on revenge…
BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #11
On sale APRIL 21 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by PAUL DINI
Co-feature written by MARC ANDREYKO
Art by DUSTIN NGUYEN & DEREK FRIDOLFS
Co-feature art by JEREMY HAUN
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
Batman, Robin and Abuse join forces to combat the frightening strength of Victor Zsasz’s army! Can Batman and his allies save Gotham City’s kidnapped children? And what happens when Abuse spirals out of control?
Meanwhile, in the Manhunter co-feature, the odds are stacked against Kate as she goes up against a new adversary in the courtroom. Her increased frustration with the proceedings gets taken out on every thug in Gotham – but is Manhunter making too many enemies for her own good?
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #11
On sale APRIL 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by PAUL DINI
Art and cover by GUILLEM MARCH
As Gotham City swirls in a maelstrom of evil and villainy, three of the most unlikely candidates – Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn – step forward to bring some light to the situation. But will their efforts enough to stem the tide of madness and mayhem?
OUTSIDERS #29
On sale APRIL 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by DAN DIDIO
Art by DON KRAMER & MICHAEL BABINSKI
Cover by PHILIP TAN & JONATHAN GLAPION
When Looker returns, her bloodlust is strong – and so is the vampire-hunter hoping to drive a stake in her heart. Her only hope for survival is The Outsiders, who are still stranded in Markovia and struggling to determine whose side they’re really on…
RED ROBIN #11
On sale APRIL 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST
Art and cover by MARCUS TO & RAY MCCARTHY
“Collision” races to its conclusion as Ra’s al Ghul’s endgame for Red Robin begins. The Men of Death are on the move in Gotham City, and Red Robin, Batgirl and Prudence set out to stop them from killing everyone Bruce Wayne ever cared about. But before he can take on Ra’s, Red Robin has to get past Gotham City’s own protectors...
AZRAEL #7
On sale APRIL 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA • Art by RAMON BACHS & JOHN STANISCI
Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
His sanity starting to crack, Azrael tracks down Hide ‘n’ Seek, a pair of kidnappers whose actions bring back some very painful, fractured memories for Michael Lane. Can a psychiatrist assigned by the GCPD help Lane keep it together before Azrael goes berserk?
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #43
On sale APRIL 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Written by SAM KIETH • Art and cover by SAM KIETH
The “Ghosts” storyline comes to a thrilling close! Batman and Callie continue battling their internal ghosts and the external foe who is preying on them. But when they realize they can’t even trust the police, what can they do? Can Batman survive another loss?
Writer/artist Tony Daniel presents the unthinkable, as Batman teams with his arch-foe the Penguin to track down the Black Mask. Wise move? We'll see. BATMAN #695 hits 1/13.
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We're in a giving mood here at The Source today. Since Batman Group Editor Michael Marts was kind enough to shoot over a look at some of the upcoming March Batman covers, we didn't want to make you guys wait until the solicited covers hit on Monday afternoon. So, here for your mid-week enjoyment are the covers to March's issues of BATMAN, RED ROBIN and AZRAEL.
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There's a ton of good stuff coming out of the Bat-office lately, so checking my inbox each morning is like getting a bit of Christmas early. The spread below, from BATMAN #694 by writer/artist Tony Daniel, is one such example. Thanks to Batman Group Editor Michael Marts and his able assistant Janelle Siegel for sharing the goodness.
• Over at IGN you'll find two key previews: BLACKEST NIGHT: FLASH #1 by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins and BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #1 by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott.
• iFanboy talks to writer Matthew Sturges about this week's JSA ALL-STARS #1.
• MTV's SPLASH PAGE blog lists BLACKEST NIGHT as one of the things they're most thankful for this year. Aw.
• AMAZON's OMNIVORACIOUS blog has some kind words for the collected edition of BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL, featuring the work of writer/artist Tony Daniel.
Batman wearing that mask can't be good, can it? And what is the Penguin up to? No more clues here, folks. But enjoy the lovely work of Mr. Daniel.
Pandemonium breaks out at the inaugural ceremony of the new Arkham Asylum. Will the combined forces of Oracle, Huntress and Catwoman be enough help for Batman? Plus, the debuts of both the Gotham Shield Committee and Black Mask's Ministry of Death in writer/artist Tony Daniel's second issue. What more do you want? How about some pages? We can accommodate that, sure.
BATMAN #693 hits 11/11.
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In the spirit of my favorite time of the year…here are a few things that scare me.
THE FLAMINGO. This guy has death and danger written all over him. He rides a motorcycle and rips people’s faces off for fun. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, he’s dressed head-to-toe in pink. What’s not to be afraid of? If Batman & Robin thought they had their hands full with Red Hood & Scarlet, well, they haven’t seen anything yet. Check out the Flamingo in all of his pink and face-ripping glory in BATMAN & ROBIN #6.
TONY DANIEL. This guy scares me. True, he’s one of DC’s exclusive artists. He’s also one of my good friends. But he still scares me. Why? Because he’s a double-threat. Not only can he draw circles around anyone holding a pencil, but this guy can write, as well! In case you didn’t already know, Tony’s both writing and illustrating the current arc of BATMAN, which runs from #692-697. Will Tony reveal who’s under the Black Mask in this storyline? (Hint: I wouldn’t be teasing it, unless he was.)
BLACK MASK. His true identity scares me. Stay tuned.
WHITE GHOST. Sure, he has a name that sounds like a discounted Halloween costume, but this right-hand-man of Ra’s al Ghul is scary because he appears in not one, but two Batman titles this month--RED ROBIN #6 and AZRAEL #2
The PHILLIES don’t scare me.
MARCUS TO. Have you seen this guy’s art? Incredi--I mean, scary. Marcus debuts as RED ROBIN’s new regular artist this month, and I can’t tell you how excited we are about this. We’ve seen several complete issues of art from Marcus already, and each one gets better and better! Welcome aboard, Marcus!
Till next time, Stay Scary.
We've shown pencils, we've shown colored pages, and now it's time: Tony Daniel on BATMAN is upon us.
Following up on his bestselling BATTLE FOR THE COWL mini-series, Tony Daniel steps into the role of artist and writer for the ongoing BATMAN series, as the new Dark Knight pounds the pavement in search of Black Mask, Penguin -- all under the shadow of a new, deadlier Arkham Asylum rising from the rubble. Guest-starring Huntress and Catwoman and featuring the return of Gotham's nastiest crime family, BATMAN #692 is not to be missed. Be there on 10/28.
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