Back in 1989, it was a pretty great time to be a Batman fan. Tim Drake was introduced, you had awesome stories like “The Mud Pack” on shelves, and there was a pretty popular movie in cinemas. Maybe you’ve seen it?
Alexander Knox is a true champ.
That was also the year that saw what was advertised as the first new solo Batman title in almost fifty years: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. Running for 215 issues, the series had an initial focus on standalone stories set early in Batman’s career. Famous arcs like “Prey,” “Venom,” and “Shaman” are just a handful of the stories that sprung from this series, along with awesome tales like “Blades,” where Batman duels with a swashbuckling villain named the Cavalier. It ruled.
A true anthology series, each arc was handled by a different creative team, with such luminaries as Grant Morrison, James Robinson, Tim Sale, Dan Abnett, Alan Grant, P. Craig Russell, Gil Kane, Matt Wagner, and Chuck Dixon consisting of just a handful of the insanely talented creators who contributed to the series.
The title had a relaunch of sorts a few years back, when Legends of the Dark Knight was resurrected as a digital-first anthology title that also courted the skills of some truly talented scribes and storytellers. While it didn’t have quite as long a tenure as its predecessor, this relaunched title featured work from Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott, Jeff Parker, Phil Hester, and Michael Avon Oeming, just to name a few.
What’s old is new once again, it seems, as DC Comics have just announced a brand new Legends of the Dark Knight anthology series. Like its immediate predecessor, the new series will be digital-first with stories collected later in print. Like both of the earlier series, this new take on an old title will feature stories from some of today’s hottest creators. On deck, we have Darick Robertson, Diego Rodriguez, and Simon Bowland kicking the series off with a story titled “Bad Night, Good Knight,” with creators like Becky Cloonan, Matthew Rosenberg, Brandon Easton, Brandon Thomas, Stephanie Phillips, Giannis Milonogiannis, Dike Ruan, and Karl Mostert on tales to follow.
For years now I’ve been wanting more anthology series on the racks, so this announcement has made my day. Check out more details from DC here, and enjoy the gallery below that has covers from David Marquez, Riccardo Federici, Francesco Francavilla, and Darick Robertson.
The first digital chapter of Legends of the Dark Knight will release on April 2, with the first print issue hitting shops on May 18.
