The Batman minis are coming out in full force, and none sound as different and interesting as this. Batman: Creature of the Night was just announced by DC Comics, and it sounds like it will be a different kind of Batman story: set in Boston in 1968, it follows a young boy as he is left orphaned by an event that mirrors Bruce Wayne’s tragedy. Written by comics great Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Mother Panic‘s John Paul Leon, the series will be printed in prestige format and be released in four parts.
Every Batman fan has dreamed of becoming the Dark Knight—putting on the cowl, firing up the Batmobile and heading out to take on the Joker. However, we’d imagine that very few of them have dreamed about being Bruce Wayne as a child. While having your own Batcave and hanging with the Justice League would be fun, the important tragedy it took for Bruce Wayne to get there is often overlooked.
That’s not the case in this fall’s new Batman miniseries, BATMAN: CREATURE OF THE NIGHT, in which a young Batman fan faces a childhood that suddenly becomes unbearably similar to his hero’s. Written by Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY), drawn by John Paul Leon (MOTHER PANIC) and set outside of regular continuity, Creature of the Night is a four-issue, prestige format limited series set in Boston in 1968. Bruce Wainwright is a comic book-reading kid whose obsession with the Caped Crusader leads him to some very dark places which he must ultimately confront when his parents are murdered after walking in on a robbery. It’s a story about loss and confronting your inner demons in the face of that loss that takes a turn towards the unusual when a familiar-looking crimefighter begins to appear on the city streets.
The release goes on to draw comparisons with Busiek’s excellent Superman: Secret Identity, which is one of the best not-Superman Superman stories out there. Here’s hoping lightning can strike twice. I’m also reminded of Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso’s excellent Dark Night: A True Batman Story, which is never a bad thing.
The first installment of the four-issue series will hit comic shops and digital platforms this November.
