San Diego Comic Con 2023 is well under way, and DC Comics have already started making surprising announcements.
As part of the Gotham City panel, DC brought out a series of creators – including Ram V, Tini Howard, Belen Ortega, Tom King, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly – to discuss the upcoming slate of Batman-related titles.
After some discussion around the upcoming “Gotham War” storyline, set up in Zdarsky’s Batman run and Howard’s Catwoman, the focus turned to the as-yet-announced elements of Gotham’s 2023 plans.
A Big SDCC 2023 for Ram V
The first major SDCC 2023 news was an announcement in two parts from Ram V.
First, he confirmed for those attending that he has now signed a multi-year exclusive contract with DC Comics, something that has been increasingly uncommon since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Second, he spoke to the upcoming issues of his ongoing Detective Comics run.
Starting in Detective Comics #1076, a new arc titled “Batman: Outlaw” will serve as something of an intermission in the ongoing “Gotham Nocturne” narrative. Picking up in October after Knight Terrors, “Batman: Outlaw” is described as having a ‘western theme’ and will be illustrated by Dustin Nguyen (Robin & Batman, Little Monsters) and Jason Alexander. The four-issue interlude features the Dark Knight in a perilous situation – one that a group of benevolent cowboys must help him out of.
The All New Outsiders
The second major announcement as part of this SDCC 2023 panel was from Lanzing and Kelly, a.k.a. The Hivemind. It was revealed that the pair would be co-writing a new Outsiders series, although this time it wouldn’t be starring any of the usual suspects.
Typically a series that includes Black Lightning, Katana, and recently Duke Thomas, the Signal, Lanzing and Kelly (who will be joined by artist Robert Carey) unveiled that the protagonists this time around will be Luke Fox and Kate Kane. Usually known as Batwing and Batwoman respectively, this series throws them into the role of super-archaeologists, not superheroes.
In fact, in the wake of “Gotham War”, it’s revealed that Luke and Kate have grown weary of the superhero life, and as such set out on a new adventure, helping the world in new ways.
SDCC 2023 will be running all weekend, so be sure to check back in on the website, and follow Visionist Cove on social media, to stay up to date on all the latest news and commentary!
