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DC Comics and Warners to Change Batman 'For a Generation or More' – Tom King

Graeme McMillan at The Hollywood Reporter has been granted an interview with Batman comic book writer Tom King (courtey of DC PR, natch) regarding the conclusion to his 100+ issue run on Batman which began three years ago and is currently around two thirds-to-three-quarters of the way in.

Initially King talks about the current lead up to July's Batman #75 and "City of Bane" storyline with Tony S Daniel (which you first read about on Bleeding Cool, of course). But looking ahead, King says, the final fifteen issues of his run will include something… of note.

"I've been talking to, not just DC, but Warner Brothers and AT&T. What we're going to do for the last 15 issues is something no one's ever seen for the character. It's something that's going to change the character for a generation, or maybe more. Maybe forever. I never thought we'd get this kind of stuff approved; when you're working with a corporate character, you think you're going to have to reset. But this is a change that's going to shake the world of Batman and it's going to leave my mark on the character."

Something along the lines of Batman's broken back in Knightfall? The death of Robin in A Death In The Family? Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's Dark Knight or Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke? That seems to be the kind of context we're talking about here.

Warners own DC. AT&T own Warners now. And we've seen the micromanaging come down after DC Comics had a multiple-blow of Batman: Damned, Second Coming, Milestone, The Other History of The DC Universe and Border Town bringing them problems and publicity they weren't expecting. Even the Batman not-a-wedding had to be made returnable after Catwoman left Batman at the rooftop altar and DC spoiled the ending in the New York Times, after marketing it as a definite wedding between the pair. So any big change to a corporate IP like this may have to go through quite a few executive layers at this point.

King puts down the roadmap for THR.

"City of Bane" is eight issues, and then it extends another five after that, in a kind of aftermath story. And then we start the coda, which will be the last, say, 15 issues or so. If you've been reading Batman all this time, God bless you, but I've been torturing you for the last six months to a year. I've been tearing Batman down all that time. "City of Bane" is Batman getting off the ground, saying, "I'm still here," it's the turning point. We've reached the low point, now it's time for Batman to come back and show you why he's Batman. Maybe that won't be in the traditional way, but it'll show you why Batman matters.

Oh and there's a new Batman out this week. #71. How handy.

BATMAN #71
(W) Tom King (A/CA) Mikel Janin
"The Fall and the Fallen" continues! Will it be father and son working together, or tearing each other apart? When it comes to the Waynes, expect a little of both. In the quest to get Bruce Wayne to hang up the cape and cowl, Thomas Wayne is going to have to use a little tough love. Only, not all the muscle behind it will be his own.In Shops: May 15, 2019
SRP: $3.99

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