Today’s Legacy of the Bat panel in DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes contained great
topics and panelists in a celebration of the Batman 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. They confirmed 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. The mini series features a version of the Caped Crusader different from what many fans know and will exist 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.

A look into the upcoming Batman miniseries

The writer also provided further credence to fan speculation that this Batman definitely
will not be Bruce Wayne. Ridley said:

“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.”

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. 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.

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