A new Batman mini-series by John Ridley and Nick Derington was announced today at DC’s Fandome event! The series is going to be four issues and will start in January of 2021. As part of the announcement, DC also released a gorgeous piece of “key” art associated with the title by LADRÖNN.
The most interesting aspect of this announcement is that the Batman in the series will not be Bruce Wayne, but instead a character of color. In fact, Ridley has been quoted that there is “better than a 47% chance this Batman is a person of color.” While the name of the character has not yet been officially announced, Ridley also stated that the series will focus on the family of Lucius Fox. I’d say it’s a safe bet the character under the cowl will probably be Lucius’ son, Luke Fox.
Luke Fox has previously donned the mantle of Batwing, and was rumored to take up the cowl after Batman in DC’s recently canceled 5G event. He was most recently in Tynion’s Detective Comics run and was also a part of New 52’s Batwing title. Currently it’s unclear whether or not this series will be in continuity, though it will run alongside Tynion’s Batman. Even if it is not Luke who dons Batman’s cowl, it will still be interesting to see how the Fox family is integrated into this series.
You can see DC’s full announcement below for more details:
DC CONFIRMS BATMAN LIMITED SERIES WRITTEN BY AWARD-WINNING SCREENWRITER JOHN RIDLEY
Four-Issue Miniseries Scheduled for January 2021 Featuring Art by Nick Derington
“Better Than A 47% Chance This Batman is a Person of Color,” Says Ridley
Today’s Legacy of the Bat panel in DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes contained great topics and panelists in a celebration of the Dark Knight’s heritage and the impact he’s had on his allies as they continue to do their part to protect Gotham City.
In addition to lively discussions spotlighting Talent and creators from popular DC shows such as Batwoman and Titans, as well as from Warner Bros. Games Montréal, DC also ended months of speculation regarding Batman’s upcoming comic book adventures, confirming that award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Guerrilla, American Crime) and artist Nick Derington (Doom Patrol, Batman Universe, Mister Miracle) will team up for a four-issue miniseries scheduled for January 2021, featuring a version of the Caped Crusader different from what many fans know and existing alongside the current Batman run by James Tynion IV and Jorge Jimenez.
During his conversation with DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, Ridley revealed a breathtaking piece of key art for his version of Batman by artist LADRÖNN.
The writer also provided further credence to fan speculation that this Batman definitely will not be Bruce Wayne:
“I think it’s a pretty safe bet that if I’m writing Batman, it’s probably a little better than a 47% chance he’s going to be a person of color,” said Ridley.
In addition, Ridley raised additional curiosity when he revealed his series will focus on the family of Lucius Fox, head of Wayne Enterprises. “But he [Fox] has a family and this is a family that has secrets, has kept secrets from one another,” said Ridley. “It’s a little bit different dynamic than the Batman that we’ve always seen.”
While this will be the first time Ridley has written a series featuring Batman, he’s no stranger to comic book writing, nor to DC. In 2004, he wrote The Authority: Human on the Inside (with artist Ben Oliver) and contributed an arc to the 2005 series, The Razor’s Edge: Warblade (with legendary artist Simon Bisley). Most recently, Ridley also collaborated with artist Georges Jeanty on the groundbreaking limited series The American Way (2006) and its sequel, The American Way: Those Above and Those Below (2017).
Fans interested in learning more about Ridley’s plans for this series should check out the Batman: The Joker War panel at DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse, Saturday, September 12 at 10amPT/1pmET. Ridley is writing a short story (with art by Olivier Coipel) for the Batman: Joker War Zone one-shot anthology that may provide drop additional hints at his plans for the January miniseries.
For the latest news on DC FanDome, make sure to check out The Daily Star, the official blog of DC Fandome, at www.dccomics.com/dcfandome.
What do you guys think? Are you excited to see Ridley and Derington on this title? How do you feel about the idea of someone else as Batman? Leave a comment below, and stay tuned, as it looks like we’ll learn more news during Fandome’s part 2 set to happen on September 12th.
