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After a brief celebration for getting my first Buffalo Bills ticket, I review Batgirl #66-67 and Birds of Prey #86, all from 2005. After the break, I review Batgirl vol. 6 #7 and Birds of Prey vol. 5 #21. Stella’s Dungeon of Smut and my literature recommendations also appear.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 main cover by Dan Mora (DC Comics)
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #39
Written: MARK WAID
Art and Main Cover: CLAYTON HENRY
Variant Covers: LUCIO PARRILLO, ADRIÁN GUTIÉRREZ, A.L. KAPLAN
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date 5/21/25
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 continues the “We Are Yesterday” crossover, as ‘past tense’ Robin (Dick Grayson) is transported to the present day DCU (on the JLU Watchtower no less) after being zapped by one of present day Gorilla Grodd’s time guns. As ‘past tense’ Robin tries to reconcile encountering his older self as Nightwing, Batman experiences a personal temporal crisis by simultaneously remembering and forgetting Robin’s disappearance from the past.
Superman arrives and explains that time has been fractured, (since Nightwing has no memory of arriving in the future as Robin). After Robin and Nightwing shake hands, the teen wonder vanishes, but in reality, present day Nightwing, Batman and Superman have ended up in the ‘World’s Finest’ past.
Meanwhile, ‘past tense’ Batman, Robin and Superman arrive in present day Metropolis where the Man of Steel encounters the super-powered Lois Lane flying by as Superwoman. After recovering from that future shock, the trio head to the Superman Museum currently under attack by ‘past tense’ Scarecrow and Sinestro. Scarecrow’s kryptonite-laced fear gas sends Superman into a chaotic fear spiral, while the dynamic duo square off against Sinestro.
A vision of his future death finally shakes ‘past tense’ Superman out of his nightmare, but while he quickly dispatches Scarecrow, Sinestro gets the drop on the World’s Finest trio with a blast from his time gun, and the heroes vanish.
The present day Batman, Superman and Nightwing arrive at the ‘past tense’ Batcave to discover all of the confiscated time travel equipment was stolen, and Batman and Nightwing are overcome with emotion at seeing their friend Alfred Pennyworth alive again, so Superman quickly explains to Alfred that it’s a “time-travel thing”. The trio then race to the Fortress of Solitude to use Superman’s Legion of Super Heroes’ time bubble to travel back to the present day.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 ends with the present day heroes’ time bubble colliding with an unexpected temporal firewall, while ‘past tense’ Superman, Batman and Robin crash land in a desert.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 weaves a wild, time-tripping adventure featuring two teams of time lost heroes, but remarkably writer Mark Waid (JLU) and artist Clayton Henry (Archer & Armstrong) keep the story linear and the timelines distinct, while providing several amusing and touching encounters.
Mark Waid’s story evokes a bygone era by making the ‘past tense’ Legion of Doom the big bad for the present day JLU. It’s a trip watching ‘past tense’ Scarecrow and Sinestro wreak havoc while monologuing old-school villain style, as they encounter the World’s Finest team in present day Metropolis. The entire “We Are Yesterday” crossover event is a giant love letter to that earlier DC Super Friends era, although with a slightly darker edge.
The time-crossed heroes have just enough time for a few quick “what’s different here” moments, including the brilliant sight gag of ‘past tense’ Superman’s stunned reaction to Lois Lane as Superwoman (among other news), while the normally cavalier Robin acting as the voice of reason for the World’s Finest team is also hilarious.
The Batcave sequence with present day Batman and Nightwing encountering their late friend Alfred is filled with emotion that even Batman cannot fully suppress. (Also, since Alfred doesn’t recognize grown up Dick Grayson as Nightwing, maybe those domino masks do work).
If the inimitable Dan Mora can’t draw Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39, then veteran artist Clayton Henry is a solid substitute, as Henry brings an animation-style quality to his work with his clean linework and facial expressions. Henry’s draftsmanship and sense of composition bring needed energy (and a retro look) to a story that balances action, drama and slapstick humor.
Henry’s wide shot panel of present day Batman, Nightwing and Superman in the ‘past tense’ Batcave illustrates the artist’s attention to detail, as you can practically hear the “snap” from Batman’s flowing cape. It is also interesting to note that while there are a couple of fully blacked-out panels in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39, there are no heavy shadows in the entire issue.
Tamra Bonvillain’s colors replicate classic comic book style, with bright reds, blues, greens and yellows (for the Sinestro/Scarecrow battle), contrasting the darker hues of the Batcave, and present day Batman’s costume, (although there is a distinct lack of dot matrix effects).
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39 continues the enjoyable time-twisting mystery of “We Are Yesterday” with a respectful nod to DC Comics’ past, while making it possible for both teams to have a hand in defeating the Legion of Doom across time.
Rating: 4.0
Batman and Robin: Year One #7 main cover by Chris Samnee (DC Comics)
BATMAN & ROBIN: YEAR ONE #7
Written by MARK WAID and CHRIS SAMNEE
Art and Main Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant Covers: DECLAN SHALVEY, JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ, ETHAN YOUNG
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 5/21/25
General Grimaldi is less than pleased at Clayface, a.k.a. one Matt Hagen. The accounts he was after during the Koski caper were frozen by the cops, and Batman is still investigating his operation. Hagen responds by apologizing with Grimaldi’s face, which enrages the crime boss further. Unbeknownst to him, while Grimaldi gripes to his invalid father, the old man’s wheelchair has been bugged by Two-Face, listening in.
Batman and Robin have been cleaning house every night for over a week, battling two-bit hoods and costumed villains alike. While on the way to their next patrolling spot, Batman informs Robin that the spillover in crime is a fallout of Clayface playing Grimaldi’s rival gangs against each other. They stop by a favorite restaurant spot of the Bertinelli crime family, who are about to be attacked by the Maroni crime family. Batman saves their lives in return for demanding a truce between the gangs.
The next day, Dick enjoys showing off for the kids at school during recess. A bigger kid begins to taunt him, tempting Dick to deliver a Robin-styled punch, just before CPS arrives to check in on him. Spotting s bruise on his wrist, Dick quickly assuages their concerns by prodding the older kid into punching him out in front of the adults, saving his identity. At the manor, Bruce compliments his quick thinking, and informs his that he’s realized they’re being spied upon by Grimaldi’s men.
Two-Face meets Hagen at his hideout, informing him that the cure Grimaldi has promised him for his condition isn’t curative. Later that night, two armed men break into a home and gun down a man and young boy at their dinner table, crossing off a list of suspects stolen from GCPD of potential secret identities of Batman and Robin.
It’s been some weeks since the last issue, which has made my heart grow fonder in the book’s absence. While Mark Waid still depicts Dick with more of a frivolous juvenile quality than I enjoy, I overall enjoyed this issue. It carried just the right noirish mood of classic Batman, between the scenes of the mobsters on their own (including Two-Face and Clayface), and the supreme domination of the Caped Crusaders battling across Gotham.
This was also a perfectly paced story, hearkening back to the old days (pre-2000s) where comics had a lot more meat on their bones in a single issue. Typically these days, most issues seem to include only two or three locations at a time, or far too many to sit in for a single scene. I AM Batman suffered that problem, with scenes lasting for practically a single page with little impact left by its end. But in this issue I was surprised how full it felt without feeling like two much. We get more follow-ups with the GCPD suspects list subplot, Grimaldi and his father, Bruce and Dick and Alfred in the Batcave, Dick at school, B&R hitting the streets. None of it felt rushed or flabby, it’s a perfect distillation of plotting, helped marvelously by Chris Samnee’s utter flair for sequential storytelling.
As much as I don’t care for Waid’s characterization of Dick, I need to acknowledge that it’s still correct where it counts. Dick’s youthful, energetic and upbeat, but he’s not a stupid kid. He takes out Maroni’s men off-screen while Batman was talking with Bertinelli inside, and him remembering to keep his identity in check at school was a great bit of quick thinking. I always enjoy details like that, where the secret identity regarding the teen heroes gets real world child services involved, like in Robin III where Tim Drake was suspected of being Bruce’s abuse victim due to his bruises. Now Mark Waid’s coming out with a new History of the DC Universe this summer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts Dick’s age at eleven or even ten judging by how he’s being written. That’s still too young for my tastes, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s been that young in the comics (Marv Wolfman regularly had Dick say in New Teen Titans that he was first Robin when he was eight years old 0_0). I’m hoping for twelve, which has been the norm Post-Crisis. Chris Samnee draws him pretty small and young, but I’ll keep an eye out when that book drops.
I’m also expecting some retcons with Matt Hagen, who in this book is pretty much the DCAU/B:TAS version, being a former actor who can shapeshift. So, did Basil Karlo never happen? Regardless, seeing Two-Face play both sides has been a fun way to have the super-criminals foil this supposed criminal genius, demonstrating that Gotham City isn’t like any other city in the world, and he’s way out of his depth.
This was perfectly solid, thoroughly enjoyable and a good portent for issues to come, with ever-reliably great artwork from the maestro Chris Samnee.
Detective Comics #1097 main cover by Mikel Janín (DC Comics)
DETECTIVE COMICS #1097
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by LEE GARBETT
Main Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant Covers: CHRIS STEVENS, AARON CAMPBELL, ASHLEY WOOD
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2025
Detective Comics #1097 picks up in the aftermath of the Asema murders, as former GCPD detective Harvey Bullock encounters Batman at a recent crime scene. The two share notes as Bullock recounts a relevant event from his early days on the GCPD featuring a gruesome encounter with a government group called LXR (Elixir), where Bullock barely escaped with his life.
Batman hires Bullock to look into Elixir, but after numerous dead ends, Bullock looks up his former partner, who is not only well-acquainted with Elixir, he also has some compromising information to share. Later, at his office, Bullock uses the special contact number Batman gave to him (it’s Oracle), and requests a meet up. Three LXR goons burst into Bullock’s office and threaten him. Bullock gets a shot off but gets captured.
Batman arrives sometime later to find blood and signs of a struggle, but no Bullock. With Oracle’s help, Batman tracks down the van that took Bullock to the Gotham airfield, where a lone private jet has taken off. Eight hours later Batman tracks the jet to the country of Pokolistan and breaches the military vehicle that sped away from the local airstrip.
Detective Comics #1097 ends as Batman disarms the guards and removes the hood from their captive, revealing Oswald Cobblepot, not Harvey Bullock.
Detective Comics #1097 kicks off a brand new story arc by series writer Tom Taylor and guest artist Lee Garbett (Shadecraft) that picks up threads from the previous story arc featuring the covert agency known as LXR (Elixir). Former detective Harvey Bullock takes point in Detective Comics #1097, as his drive to understand the Asema killings dredges up memories from his early days on the police force (even before Batman mentions the word “Elixir”).
For many years, Harvey Bullock has been Jim Gordon’s right hand man, and for most of that time Bullock came off as a truly “old school” cop, distrusting of the Gotham vigilantes and seeming much more crude and politically incorrect. In recent stories, Bullock is much more by-the-book, and accepting of the Bat-Family’s help.
In Detective Comics #1097, Bullock’s sense of moral outrage at the Asema killings is palpable, prompting a flashback to a wellness check gone horrifically wrong, and to a covert agency that bribes the police (or kills them) with impunity. These tropes are common in crime fiction, but Taylor’s writing manages to still spark outrage at the LXR’s actions and keep the reader engaged as he mixes in a fair amount of crime noir, again putting the “detective” in Detective Comics.
Taylor’s flair for speed plotting, tension build-up and dialogue are on full display in Detective Comics #1097, as Batman finds himself a supporting player in his own series (although with so many to choose from, he can step back on occasion). The twist reveal of Penguin as the hooded captive raises questions as to where Bullock is and why Cobblepot has been abducted.
Also what is LXR exactly, and why does the mysterious Ambrose keep appearing in Gotham, unknown to Batman. Taylor likely knows all of this and will unfold more plot details as “Elixir” continues. Bullock’s former (and first) partner Sulley is a cookie-cutter plot device more than a character, but it will be interesting to find out if he betrayed Bullock, or if Taylor will explore his character as the burned-out, retired, on-the-take cop.
Guest artist Lee Garbett employs his realistic but stylized approach, evoking influences from TEC series artist Mikal Janin and the legendary Lee Weeks. It is interesting to note the change in mood as some of Bullock’s scenes, and all of Batman’s are cloaked in heavy black ink, while Bullock’s flashback, and present day quest feature limited use of shadow.
Colorist Lee Loughridge truly sets the tone with various color palettes for the different types of scenes. Bullock’s flashback features muted sepia tones, while the Batman/Bullock scenes are all soft blues and greens. Bullock’s office at night are also blues and greens, except for the clever use of a bright tone for the panel with Bullock’s muzzle flash.
Overall, Detective Comics #1097 is a fast-paced and compelling piece of a larger whole; featuring a different lead, some nice character moments, and a gorgeous combination of art and color to set the mood. Maybe it’s more soft-boiled than hard-boiled noir, but the creative team delivers an enjoyable new chapter.
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The Batman Universe Comic Podcast Season 17 Episode 9 is live on on your favorite platforms. In this episode, Steph and Theo review only one title due to the 5th Wednesday last month in April. This episode, they review Batman and Robin #21. After that, they have fun with Greater Gotham.
How do you feel about the Memento story arc still going? Has it improved or worsened your thoughts on the series? How do our hosts feel? Listen in and find out.
Batman and Robin #21
Batgirl #7
Birds of Prey #21
Two-Face #6
Absolute Batman #8
Batman: Dark Patterns #6
Batman – Justice Buster #23
Batman: Wayne Family Adventures #163-164
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Absolute Batman #8 main cover by Nick Dragotta (DC Comics)
Absolute Batman # 8
Writer: Scott Synder
Artist: Marcos Martin
Colorist: Muntsa Vicente
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Absolute Batman # 8 picks up with Absolute Freeze holding Bruce captive and preparing to put him in the icey slumber along with other wealthy people of Gotham’s past who are looking to prolong their life. But as Freeze says, this ice chamber makes the victim wish for death.
We see intercut scenes of Bruce with his friends and he and Waylon are having it out. Waylon is calling Bruce and Batman a coward. We find out that Thomas Wayne ran out to get Matches during that fateful day at the zoo and that is why Thomas was killed and Matches blamed himself.
Bruce is able to free himself and suits up as Batman. He is still feeling the effects of this cold tub that Freeze put him in but he is able to use a blow torch right in Freeze’s face to slow him down. Freeze unleashes a room full of these cold zombies onto Batman. Batman is taking out these zombies. They are so weak and fragile so Batman easily takes them but there are so many of them.
Batman is able to get free from the zombies and calls Waylon for help. Waylon does not answer because as he gets back to his gym, he is kidnapped by some men in suits who comment that he is the perfect specimen. And to take him to Ark M.
Next up: Absolute Bane.
Analysis: There is not a lot of meat on the bone in this issue. Just Batman getting out of a death trap with really no effects. While Bruce was in that chamber, he was turning blue and then he busted out (somehow I really don’t know) and he was fine. He took out these zombies and escaped so does that mean Freeze is defeated? I assume the Freeze story will pick up in the next issue. Two issue story arcs are a thing of the past. Freeze was talking to someone before Batman showed up. Maybe he is working for Bane? And Waylon getting kidnapped and going to Ark M- is that connected?
The strength of these issues for me is still the relationship between Bruce and the gang. The interactions have been the best part. Sometimes only your friends can really tell the truth that you do not want to hear. And that is what Waylon does to Bruce in this issue. Waylon tells Bruce that he will die if he does not accept help. And Bruce listens and calls for help before Waylon was kidnapped.
I know at some point that the friends will turn and end up closer to their main universe counterparts but I really hope they don’t. Once again, I like how this Bruce/Batman has friends. It makes such a nice difference from the main universe. They’ve known Bruce forever, they know the secret, and now they can help. I’m sure it’ll hurt when the turn happens but I’m rooting for it not to happen.
DC Comics solicitations for August 2025 have been released by the publisher. The highlights include an oversize issue of Catwoman #78 which appears to be the end of the current arc. Detective Comics will be celebrating it’s 1100th issue with a 56 page special featuring many different artists and writers. Batman #163, which will be ending the Hush 2 arc, will have a special giant variant.
Check out the DC Comics solicits within the Batman Universe for August 2025 below, courtesy of DC comics. If you want to see the full solicits for the month of August 2025, you can find them at our sister site, The Comic Book Spot.
(Click images to enlarge)
BATMAN #163
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant covers by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS, JORGE JIMÉNEZ, GABRIELE DELL’OTTO, and GARY FRANK
Foil variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:25 variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
1:50 variant cover by DERRICK CHEW
1:100 variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock) | Variant $7.99 US (foil)
ON SALE 8/27/25
The shocking conclusion to “H2SH” Part One with Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee! Will Batman survive Hush’s revenge when his only allies are his greatest enemies?
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #11
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by CLAY MANN
Cover by NICK DRAGOTTA
Variant covers by LEE GARBETT and CHRIS BURNHAM
1:25 variant cover by CLAY and SETH MANN
1:50 variant cover by CHRIS MOONEYHAM
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
Learn the origin of Bane! What drives the muscle-bound behemoth, and how did he arrive in Gotham
IMMORTAL LEGEND BATMAN #1
Written by KYLE HIGGINS and MAT GROOM Art by ERICA D’URSO and DAN MORA
Cover by DAN MORA
Variant cover by HOMARE
Foil variant cover by HOMARE
1:25 variant cover by MATT TAYLOR
Blank sketch variant
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/27/25
Humanity broke the barrier between our universe and our universe’s shadow. From the void came horrific apparitions that craved nothing but destruction. But from this terror…a legend was born. A warrior who found a way to access the energy that binds our universe and the shadow universe, transforming him into a cosmic dark knight. This immortal legend was named Batman. He fought to keep us safe but then one day abandoned the war. Though he didn’t disappear entirely. Now they say he hunts a rouges gallery of monsters…born from the shadows!
TRINITY: DAUGHTER OF WONDER WOMAN #3
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by BELÉN ORTEGA
Variant covers by AMANDA CONNER and PHIL JIMENEZ
1:25 variant cover by MIRKA ANDOLFO
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 3 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Trinity is about to learn this lesson firsthand after a disastrous meeting with her mother in the past that leads to death at the paws of the fearsome Cerberus. Will our hero have what it takes to learn from her mistakes and save her Wonder Woman and one of the missing corgis?
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #10
Written by MARK WAID
Art and cover by DAN MORA
Variant covers by NATHAN SZERDY, RACHTA LIN, and SARAH BASLAIM
Artist Spotlight variant cover by BRUNO REDONDO
1:25 variant cover by MATTHEW CLARK
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/27/25
The Quantum Quorum of time-traveler refugees has issued its warning to the Justice League: Apokolips is coming. But just as Jor-El’s cries fell on the deaf ears of Krypton, will the people of Earth be prepared to take drastic steps to save their world? It all comes to a head as the chaos continues, and one Leaguer is put to the ultimate test!
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. GODZILLA VS. KONG 2 #3
Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by CHRISTIAN DUCE
Variant covers by RICCARDO FEDERICI and ALAN QUAH
1:25 variant cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/6/25
Superman and Lex Luthor form an uneasy alliance to combat the Hollow Earth’s monstrous Great Apes. But for Superman, the real challenge isn’t just the towering Titans—it’s his waning powers and Luthor’s ever-present treachery. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Batman wage their own battles against the Suicide Squad, edging closer to uncovering Task Force X’s true plan for the creatures of G-Day Earth. And just when things seem insurmountable, Godzilla returns—this time, he’s on his home turf. He’s not just looking for a fight; he’s here to defend his realm as King of the Monsters!
DETECTIVE COMICS #1100
Written by TOM TAYLOR, GREG RUCKA, MARIKO TAMAKI, and DAN WATTERS Art by MIKEL JANÍN, ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ BUENO, AMANCAY NAHUELPAN, and BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant covers by JOCK, FRANK MILLER, and BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Artist Spotlight variant cover by BRUNO REDONDO
1:25 variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON
$4.99 US | 56 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/20/25
In March 1937, a comic book was published that changed the world as we know it. Now, 1,099 issues later, some of comics’ top talents have gathered to celebrate the comic that birthed a legend!
Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín join forces once again to tell a heartfelt and action-packed story of Batman rescuing a young boy’s best friend. Greg Rucka and Álvaro Martínez Bueno team up for a tale that asks the question: was Gotham better off before Batman? Mariko Tamaki reunites with Detective Comics collaborator Amancay Nahuelpan for a yarn that explores Bruce Wayne’s world outside of the cowl and how his double life as Batman intersects with his alter ego’s actions. Dan Watters and legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz bring us a story that illustrates just how similar Batman’s motivations are to the criminals he has sworn to fight and how he fights against his own darkness.
NIGHTWING #129
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art and cover by DEXTER SOY
Variant covers by JORGE FORNÉS and JUAN FERREYRA
1:25 variant cover by SERG ACUÑA
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/20/25
Nightwing must overcome the creature that has taken over Titans Tower and rescue his allies from its fifth-dimensional prison. But trapped in time warps and bad dreams, those who escape may be changed forever.
BATGIRL #10
Written by TATE BROMBAL
Art by TAKESHI MIYAZAWA
Cover by DAVID TALASKI
Variant cover by TRAN NGUYEN
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/6/25
The Batgirl must die in the action-packed second chapter of “The Three Swords”! The Unburied have sent their greatest assassin to kill Cassandra Cain for the sins of her mother, but Cass is still recovering from the revelations of the previous issue. Will she accept her unlikely allies and join forces with them to defeat the first sword—or will they be their undoing as the second sword arrives to kill the Batgirl?! Destiny is calling. Will Batgirl answer…or die fighting?
BATMAN AND ROBIN #24
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA
Cover by JAVI FERNÁNDEZ
Variant covers by DARICK ROBERTSON and JORGE FORNÉS
1:25 variant cover by PABLO M. COLLAR
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
“Remember, you must die.”
Long ago, a young Bruce Wayne first encountered the monstrous Memento in the winding streets of London and narrowly escaped with his life—but also with terrifying questions he never managed to answer. Now, with Gotham City in flames, will Batman finally find the key to stopping Memento once and for all? Or will his son suffer the fate he fled all those years ago? The Memento storyline comes to a thunderous conclusion!
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #42
Written by MARK WAID
Art by ADRIÁN GUTIÉRREZ
Cover by DAN MORA
Variant covers by MICHAEL CHO and ADRIÁN GUTIÉRREZ
1:25 variant cover by MARIO FOCCILLO
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/20/25
“Escape from Bizarro World” continues! Superman, Batman, and Robin—tracing a mysterious plague that is sweeping the planet—have found Patient Zero! The only cure for the Bizarros is to eradicate him—so how will the World’s Finest Trio save an entire race without murdering a sentient being?
CATWOMAN #78
Written by TORUNN GRØNBEKK
Art by DANILO BEYRUTH
Cover by SEBA FIUMARA
Variant covers by FRANK CHO and DAN PANOSIAN
1:25 variant cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
1:50 variant cover by FRANK CHO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/20/25
It’s all been leading up to this! Selina is finally face-to-face with the mysterious enemy trying to bury her six feet under. Will the feline femme fatale find a way out of this predicament, or is it curtains for the cat criminal?! Find out in this special oversize issue! And don’t say we didn’t warn you when the rug gets pulled out from under you!
BIRDS OF PREY #24
Written by KELLY THOMPSON
Art by SAMI BASRI
Cover by ANNIE WU
Variant covers by NIMIT MALAVIA and KYUYONG EOM
Artist Spotlight variant cover by BRUNO REDONDO
1:25 variant cover by RIAN GONZALES
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/6/25
The Shadow Army has had the upper hand from the jump, but the jump is long past, and the Birds are ready to get their people back and throw down like it’s personal. And yeah, it is.
HARLEY QUINN #53
Written by ELLIOTT KALAN
Art by MINDY LEE
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
Variant covers by DAVID NAKAYAMA and MAHMUD ASRAR
1:25 variant cover by DIBERKATO
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/27/25
Hello. This is Harley Quinn. Today, I’m going to be announcing three exciting new products coming from DC. A new way to disrupt super-villains without getting your hands dirty, a hilarious comic about a super-cute clown girl who everyone is in love with, and a story about an angry industrialist whose portfolio value is through the roof. Three products. Disrupting super-villainy, a super cute clown girl, and an angry industrialist. Are you getting it? Is this making sense?! I’m talking about the new issue of my comic! It’s all in there. Hello? Is this thing on? Does anyone even read these things?????
POISON IVY #35
Written by G. WILLOW WILSON
Art by MARCIO TAKARA
Cover by JESSICA FONG
Variant covers by EIJIKURE and BEN HARVEY
1:25 variant cover by CHAY RUBY
1:50 variant cover by KYUYONG EOM
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/6/25
The Order of the Green Knight’s leadership hangs in the balance as Poison Ivy and the Gardener go head-to-head in a brutal fight to see who will control the organization and who will be stripped of their power (and perhaps even more). Can Ivy count on her new allies within the Order to have her back, or will they turn on her?
TITANS #26
Written by JOHN LAYMAN
Art by MAX RAYNOR
Cover by PETE WOODS
Variant covers by CHRIS BURNHAM and TRAVIS MERCER
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/20/25
It feels like the Titans have been working nonstop to defeat Deathstroke and his crime syndicate, and the team could use a breather. What better time for Beast Boy and Cyborg to go check in with Gar’s first found family—the unstoppable Doom Patrol? But the family reunion is cut short when they find themselves trapped and hunted by Samuel Register, also known as the Zookeeper! Can the heroes escape Zookeeper’s most dangerous game?
NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #3
Written by MARK WAID
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and DAN JURGENS
Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant covers by DAN MORA and FRANK QUITELY
1:25 variant cover by KARL KERSCHL
Foil variant cover by RYAN SOOK
Legacy variant cover by SCOTT KOBLISH
Wraparound variant $9.99 US (card stock)
Blank sketch cover
$5.99 US | 48 pages | 3 of 4 | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/27/25
Following the cataclysmic events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the DC Universe is forever changed. Torches are passed as legacy heroes like Wally West embrace the mantles of their predecessors, heroes like Hal Jordan are tempted by darkness, and the Justice League faces formidable new threats such as Doomsday, Black Hand, and Superboy-Prime. Narrator Barry Allen recaps these events through his return, ending with the cataclysmic Flashpoint!
ROBIN & BATMAN: JASON TODD #3
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
Variant covers by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE and CLAYTON CRAIN
1:25 variant cover by KYLE HOTZ
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/27/25
Robin has teamed up with the mysterious villain known only as the Wraith, and Batman is desperate to save his new ward from the sinister temptations of evil. Can the Dark Knight rescue Jason Todd before his corruption is complete? And even if he can, is there any hope that this tortured soul can be rehabilitated into the crime-fighter Batman is so desperately trying to mold him into?
BATMAN & ROBIN: YEAR ONE #10
Written by MARK WAID and CHRIS SAMNEE
Art and cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant covers by DAN MORA and DAN PANOSIAN
1:25 variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US
ON SALE 8/20/25
Batman and Robin have their backs against the wall as Project Gemini goes into full effect! Can the dynamic duo figure out the General’s plan, or will Gotham be lost to them forever?!
BATMAN: DARK PATTERNS #9
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art and cover by HAYDEN SHERMAN
Variant cover by ASHLEY WOOD
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
Case 03: Pareidolia
Batman. Three criminals. One gun. One wound. One life. The heart-wrenching finale of “Pareidolia” is here. Don’t miss it.
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN: THE LAST HALLOWEEN #9
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art by CHRIS SAMNEE
Cover by TIM SALE
Variant covers by CHRIS SAMNEE and JUANJO GUARNIDO
$4.99 US | 32 pages
ON SALE 8/27/25
Two shocking secrets are revealed that threaten to irrevocably change Batman’s world forever!
BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT– A LEAGUE FOR JUSTICE #2
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Art and cover by LEANDRO FERNÁNDEZ
Variant covers by CLAYTON CRAIN and TIRSO
1:25 variant cover by TK
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
Chaos consumes the frontier town of Smallville as Lex Luthor, riding in his steam-and-Kryptonite-powered Metallo robot, brings destruction in his search for a mys-terious artifact that could grant him power beyond his wildest dreams. Meanwhile, Batman, Superman, and their posse of strange new heroes band together to put a stop to his reign of terror and attempt to prevent Luthor from accessing this ancient power. But will the world be better off with this relic in the hands of those who do not know how to channel its power properly? Find out in this can’t-miss issue!
DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V #12
Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG and ANDREW KLEIN
Art by OTTO SCHMIDT and FRENCH CARLOMAGNO
Cover by OTTO SCHMIDT
Variant covers by DUSTIN NGUYEN and DAT PHAN
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/13/25
The humans and vampires begin their epic counterattack on Darkseid and his invading forces. But in order to win the battle, the prophecy of Mister Miracle’s child must come true. How this half-human, half-vampire baby is meant to be humanity’s secret weapon is left to John Constantine to figure out. But with the tide of the war turning against our heroes, he may be too late. And Black Canary makes a startling battle decision that will change the world of vampires forever!
DETECTIVE COMICS #880 FACSIMILE EDITION
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by JOCK
Foil variant cover by JOCK ($6.99 US)
Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US)
Super Powers variant cover by JASON GEYER and ALEX SAVIUK ($4.99 US)
$3.99 US | 36 pages
ON SALE 8/6/25
It all comes down to this! The Joker is on the loose in the catacombs beneath Gotham City, more vicious and frightening than ever. But even as Batman closes in on the Clown Prince of Crime, he begins to suspect that the city may be the target of an even deadlier threat—one that could shake Gotham City to its core.
BATMAN: HARLEY QUINN #1 FACSMILE EDITION
Written by PAUL DINI
Art by YVEL GUICHET
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Foil variant cover by ALEX ROSS ($7.99 US)
Blank sketch cover ($5.99 US)
Super Powers variant cover by JASON GEYER and ALEX SAVIUK ($5.99 US)
$4.99 US | 52 pages
ON SALE 8/13/25
You loved her on-screen antics in Batman: The Animated Series! You thrilled as she careened her criminal capers into comics with The Batman Adventures! Now get a front-row seat for Harley Quinn’s calamitous core continuity debut—and see why Gotham City has never been the same!
BATMAN #163 GIANT-SIZE SPECIAL EDITION
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art by JIM LEE
Cover by JIM LEE
Foil variant cover by JIM LEE ($19.99)$14.99 | 40 Pages
ON SALE 8/27/25
Experience the finale of “Batman: H2SH Part One” in giant, art board size! Will Batman survive Hush’s revenge when his only allies are his greatest enemies?
TEEN TITANS GO! #6
Written by J. TORRES
Art and cover by MEGAN HUANG
$2.99 US | 32 pages
ON SALE 8/6/25
The Teen Titans are a winning crew. Maybe the winningest crew! But Robin’s confidence is shaken when he gets a tour of the Titans East trophy room. They have…more trophies? How is that possible? He’s just gonna have to lead his team to conquer all the local contests ’til they are once again on top!
TEEN TITANS: TOGETHER
Written by KAMI GARCIA
Art and cover by GABRIEL PICOLO
$16.99 US | 208 pages | 6″ x 9″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-306-4
ON SALE 11/4/25
Kori Anders wants to trust newcomers Dick, Raven, Gar, Max, and Damian, but can she? After all, accusing H.I.V.E. of abduction, experimentation, and torture is the same as accusing family friend Lynch Fairweather! And Vic Stone, who she definitely trusts, has a summer job designing next-level prosthetics in Edge Labs, which funds certain projects at H.I.V.E.
Plus, Kori’s sister, Kira, is singing the praises of working with H.I.V.E., offering an inside look at the potential a partnership could bring. They’ve got a plan for taking down Raven’s demon father, Trigon. They’ve got a plan for training the next generation of superheroes. They’ve got plans for everything.
Lines become blurred as the teens struggle to agree on the best plan of action. H.I.V.E. might be their greatest ally…but at what cost? And can the Titans pull together a plan before they fall apart?
Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia (Beautiful Creatures) and artist Gabriel Picolo, the creative duo behind the New York Times bestselling Teen Titans graphic novel series, for the ultimate showdown!
LITTLE BATMAN: MONTH ONE
Written by MORGAN EVANS
Art by JON MIKEL
Cover by PATRICK BALLESTEROS
$12.99 US | 144 pages | 5 1/2″ x 8″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-704-8
ON SALE 11/4/25
After a suspicious guest is found lurking around the Wayne New Year’s Eve party, it’s up to Damian to find the balance between both of his personas and save the day yet again.
See Little Batman in a new adventure from the film’s screenwriter, Morgan Evans, and artist Jon Mikel! Collects issues #1-4.
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN
Written by CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL
Art by SEAN IZAAKSE, AMANCAY NAHUELPAN, and JORGE FORNÉS
Cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.
$17.99 US | 136 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-565-5
ON SALE 9/23/25
Darkseid’s death has sent a shockwave across the DC Universe, tearing open
the very fabric of time and space itself! Only one band of super-scientists have the right stuff to face the fate of a universe. Enter…the Challengers of the Unknown.
Ace Morgan, June Robbins, Prof Haley, Red Ryan, and Rocky Davis run day-to-day operations for the massive Watchtower in orbit above Earth. Now, they must team with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League to seal the rifts that threaten the galaxy. But a mysterious foe from the Challengers’ past lurks in the shadows, and its connection to the Godshock will put the DCU on borrowed time!
Collects the complete five-issue Challengers of the Unknown series by writer Christopher Cantwell and artists Sean Izaakse and Amancay Nahuelpan, plus
“Time Check” by Christopher Cantwell and artist Jorge Fornés from the Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2024 annual.
TWO-FACE: TRIAL SEPARATION
Written by CHRISTIAN WARD
Art by FÁBIO VERAS
Cover by BALDEMAR RIVAS
$17.99 US | 136 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-545-7
ON SALE 9/30/25
After many years of internal conflict, both halves of Harvey Dent have finally reached an uneasy peace. Using his skills as an attorney, Harvey now seeks to resolve disputes among Gotham’s most dangerous criminals in the notorious underworld court known as the White Church. Despite Harvey’s best efforts to embrace his “good” side and aided by his new assistant, Lake Cantwell, an unknown force—a Shadow Hand—is making moves and subverting their efforts at every turn. With obstacles, both external and internal, continuing to mount and Harvey’s mask of sanity beginning to slip, he must stealthily move through Gotham City’s seedy underbelly. Can Harvey rise above his haunted past? The body known as Two-Face is up for grabs, court is in session, and a potentially deadly verdict will be rendered.
Collects Two-Face #1-6.
BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN: DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art and cover by TIM SALE
$9.99 US | 376 pages | 5.5″ x 8.5″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-288-3
ON SALE 10/7/2025
Batman: The Long Halloween is created by the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
(authors of Superman for All Seasons, Catwoman: When in Rome, and Batman: Haunted Knight). This compelling look into the Dark Knight’s early career features some of the most deadly and cunning members of Batman’s rogues gallery and a dramatic retelling of the origin of the tragic villain Two-Face!
BIRDS OF PREY BY GAIL SIMONE OMNIBUS VOL. 1
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by ED BENES, JOE BENNETT, and others
Cover by NICOLA SCOTT
$125 US | 944 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-293-7
ON SALE 10/14/25
From legendary writer Gail Simone (Deadpool, Secret Six), joined by celebrated artists Ed Benes (Justice League of America, Gen 13), Joe Bennett (The Immortal Hulk, Teen Titans), and more, comes the groundbreaking Birds of Prey saga! Collects Birds of Prey #56-90, a story from Birds of Prey: Secret Files 2003 #1, pages from Batgirl #57 and Batman #633, a new cover by Nicola Scott, and more.
BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE COMPENDIUM
Written by VARIOUS
Art by VARIOUS
Cover by JIM LEE
$59.99 US | 1280 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-292-0
ON SALE 10/7/25
The greatest creators in comics come together to tell the greatest tales of the Dark Knight! The multiple-award-winning anthology series is finally collected in its entirety in one massive compendium! Featuring Batman: Black & White (vol. 1) #1-4, Batman: Black & White (vol. 2) #1-6, Batman: Black & White (vol. 3) #1-6, and the Black & White tales from Batman: Gotham Knights #1-49 and Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1-14.
JUSTICE LEAGUE BY SCOTT SNYDER AND JAMES TYNION IV OMNIBUS VOL. 2
Written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by JORGE JIMÉNEZ, JOCK, STEVE EPTING, and others
$125.00 US | 1000 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-736-9
ON SALE 10/28/26
Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV bring their epic Justice League tale to a close before Dark Knights: Death Metal. Collects Justice League #19-39, The Batman Who Laughs #1-7, The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1, DC’s Year of the Villain Special #1, and Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1-4!
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL DELUXE EDITION (2025 EDITION)
Written by DAN SLOTT
Art by RYAN SOOK, WADE VON GRAWBADGER, and JIM ROYAL
Cover by RYAN SOOK
$29.99 US | 176 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-698-0
ON SALE 8/12/2025
A dark and chilling prison drama, Batman: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell exposes the true depravity and lunacy of Batman’s greatest foes and the notorious sanitarium that they call home.
This deluxe hardcover edition collects issues #1-6 of the critically acclaimed series from Dan Slott (The Amazing Spider-Man) and artists Ryan Sook (Batman, Seven Soldiers of Victory), Wade von Grawbadger
(Starman, New Avengers) and Jim Royal (Justice League Unlimited). This volume features behind-the-scenes sketches and never-before-seen extra bonus material from Ryan Sook!
RED HOOD: OUTLAWS VOLUME FIVE
Written by PATRICK R. YOUNG
Art and cover by NICO BASCUÑÁN
$14.99 US | 208 pages | 6″ x 9″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-094-0
ON SALE 10/7/25
Artemis’s past and future collide as the mystery of her disappearance grows deeper. Her captors seem to want something from her, but their talk of freedom rings hollow. What she really wants is for her team to find her, so they can do what they do best…defy expectations, take on all challenges, and triumph!
Collecting episodes #47-56, the epic finale of WEBTOON’s smash-hit series, optimized for a brand-new reading experience in print.
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD VOL. 3: DEMONS AND DRAGONS (2025 EDITION)
Written by MARK WAID
Art by JERRY ORDWAY and SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
$16.99 US | 168 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-272-2
ON SALE 9/30/25
Can this diverse—and conflicting—assortment of heroes work together to stop the demons, dragons, and other evildoers who want to put them all out of commission?
Superstar writer Mark Waid joins forces with artists Jerry Ordway (Justice Society of America) and Scott Kolins (Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge) to conclude his acclaimed run on The Brave and the Bold! Plus, a selection of classic team-up tales, hand-picked by Waid himself!
BATMAN: EGO AND OTHER TAILS BY DARWYN COOKE DELUXE EDITION (2025 EDITION)
Written by DARWYN COOKE, JIMMY PALMIOTTI, PAUL GRIST, and others
Art by DARWYN COOKE, TIM SALE, BILL WRAY, and others
Cover by DARWYN COOKE
$39.99 US | 256 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79951-050-5
ON SALE 10/14/25
A Batman book like no other from a storytelling master, Batman: Ego and Other Tails brings together more than a decade of award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke’s beautiful and touching Dark Knight tales. Also featuring writers Paul Grist, Jeph Loeb, Amanda Conner, and Jimmy Palmiotti and artists Bill Wray, Tim Sale, and J. Bone, this collection is a must for any Batman or Catwoman fan. This extended edition of Batman: Ego and Other Tails collects 70 pages of material not included in the original printing, as well as an introduction by celebrated comics creator Amanda Conner.
Batman and Robin #21 main cover by Javier Fernández (DC Comics)
Review: Batman and Robin #21
Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by Javi Fernandez and Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colors by Marcelo Maiolo
Summary
Batman and Robin #21 begins Years ago in London, Bruce and Katherine watch as bodies are carried out of a building after discovering Professor Blye holding a gun on Memento. Blye tells them they are off the case for their own safety and returns home, where Memento ambushes him before he can draw his weapon.
In the present, at the Vauxhall Opera House in Gotham, Katherine and Batman observe a performance of Aida from the catwalks. Katherine is there following a lead from Robin, who believed it would be Memento’s next target. Batman tells her Robin has been taken by Memento and he needs her help to find him. Katherine notes that Robin didn’t want to tell Batman his findings, but he believed Memento only speaks in verse had significance.
Backstage, a red-gloved figure attacks the stage director and goes on stage. Once among the actors with a bomb strapped to his chest, he interrupts the performance, declaring “Memento Mori.” Batman notices a missed cue in the opera and spots the bomber. He disables the man with batarangs. A second bomb goes off, causing a fire. Batman rescues a trapped performer. The bomber flees, and Batman realizes from the scent and behavior that it is not Memento. Katherine stops the attacker, who is revealed to be Travis Grimwell, the Mementalist leader missing since the Arkham ruins attack.
Grimwell cryptically tells Batman that Robin is trapped in a place “beyond time,” and to “follow him in before the Gotham Cycle is complete.” Batman instructs Katherine to get Grimwell to a hospital. He then asks her about Robin’s theory regarding Memento’s speech. Katherine explains Robin had found journals from a follower of Nicodemus Crowe, a 19th-century Gotham occultist who died trying to summon a demon that only spoke in verse. Crowe’s plaster death mask was never recovered. Batman recalls a vision in which Dr. Bashar said the Devil wears Crowe’s face.
Katherine adds that Blye’s research showed Memento’s crimes went back generations and occurred worldwide, not just London years ago. Batman notes Blye was arrested for the murders and died in an asylum. Katherine says she never believed Blye was guilty and had his grave exhumed.
The next day, in Gotham’s financial district, a group of kids steal a wallet and escape into an abandoned subway station. Batman, who is familiar with them, finds them and asks them to help look for Damian, as the Gotham Irregulars know Gotham like no one else, and have eyes in hard to find places.
Elsewhere, Damian is held in a glass cage in a decaying neighborhood. A pale, long-haired man with white eyes speaks to him, saying Damian reminds him of another angry boy. Damian demands to know who the man is, but the man calls himself an unreliable narrator. Batman and Robin #21 ends with a very old, milky eyed Professor Blye looking at Damian.
Review
Batman and Robin #21 is continuing the trend of slowly converting me to like this new creative team’s run. I’m still on the fence about Batman’s characterization and Damian’s plan to drop the Robin persona, but I will everything else is getting better.
Positives – I think I’m going to like the Gotham Irregulars. Anything that adds life and flavor to Gotham is always a plus in my book. Of course having an army of street level informants is nothing new, these kids feel like they have a bit more sole and staying power. They only appear a little, but they already have grown on me.
We also see Damian alive and safe, which, though obvious, I’m happy to see, and hopefully we will see more of him in the coming issues, solving things from his end.
And Carmine’s art at the beginning was so lovely. Every time I see it at the beginning of a book, I feel like I’m reading “The Knight” again and I’m excited for whatever will be next…even if it’s not “The Knight”.
Negatives – Batman is…sigh. Maybe it’s the Grave Digger’s Poppy talking, but even before he was infected, he’s been weird. My big problem in this issue was that he didn’t want to believe Damian’s theory that Memento was a demon who speaks in rhyme or a demon possessing Nicolas Crowe…even though he works with a ghost (Deadman) AND a centuries old demon who speak in rhyme and possess people (Etrigan and Jason Blood). I don’t understand what the hesitancy for Damian’s theory is. Magic and spirituality is incredibly common in world of Batman.
Another element that’s been irking me a bit is that we were shown to the whole Batfamily ready to jump in and help, Batman radios his location on coms…and no one shows up. There are no other Batfamily members in this issue. I really hope they do show up or do something in the near future.
The art…I just really don’t love Fernandez’s art. It’s fine sometimes, and other times not so much. In this issue the Gotham Irregulars have what look like strange face abnormalities, and it’s hard to tell if that’s on purpose or just weird artistic choices. We also have Damian looking like he’s 8 years old again, even though in previous issues Robin has been tall. It’s very inconsistent.
Last Positive Notes – in the vain of adding flavor to characters, I did appreciate Batman’s thought process saving the boy on the opera stage. He’s facing a situation where he feels he can do nothing and will fail, but he imagines Clark telling him “not with that attitude”. I though that was a cute moment. Batman’s relationship with Katherine has also been refreshing, as she isn’t starry eyed by the Great Detective at all, and would just as soon arrest him as work with him. She also really likes Damian, and is not afraid to call Batman out on his endangerment of kids. I wonder what she would think of the Gotham Irregulars?
All in all, I’m sill invested in this series. I do hope Robin comes around to wanting to be Robin and a doctor.
Batgirl #7 main cover by Reiko Murakami (DC Comics)
BATGIRL #7
Written by TATE BROMBAL
Art by ISAAC GOODHART
Main Cover: REIKO MURAKAMI
Variant Covers: DAN MORA, ISAAC GOODHART, CLIFF CHIANG
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 5/7/25
Batgirl #7 kicks off before Cassandra leaves to meet Bronze Tiger. She had a package delivered to her. While boarding a train, she opens it up, revealing a cassette recording and earphones. Listening, it’s a recording of Shiva’s voice, narrating her backstory…
Years ago there was a family of four, consisting of two parents and their young daughters. Living in the Himalayas, they led a dangerous but content life until one night they were attacked by a clan of Ninjas called The Blood. The daughters escaped while the parents were slaughtered, finding themselves outside of Shaolin monastery.
Ten years later the daughters, known as Ming-Yue and Mei-Xing, have lived and trained under the shaolin monks. The sisters loved each other and everyone loved them, but Yue feels a call to violence that is not shared by her sister. On the day of a festival, the two get into a scuffle with a bullying member of The Blood, who later attacks them at night once the festival begins, during a performance led by the two sisters. The attack is led by the same man who killed their father, who upon spotting Yue and Mei claims to be their uncle and that the two sisters have been hunted by the Clan for the past decade. The sisters’ master tells them to flee, in order to save both themselves and the village. Shiva narrates that over the next several years, she and her sister were all they had…until Cassandra’s father came into the picture.
First and foremost, the star of Batgirl #7 is Isaac Goodhart. His sublime pencils along with Mike Spicer’s colors made this the prettiest looking issue of Batgirl in a long time. Right away we’ve got quite the stylish Cass sporting a black and yellow hat and jacket combo. Great look for this fanboy. The imagery going back to the train fight in issue #3 also shows that they two can illustrate a killer Batgirl design as well. And during the flashbacks, Goodhart did well in making the different locales look spacious, culturally divergent from the opening scene, and also physically dynamic with each action sequence. I enjoyed Takeshi Miyazawa up until now, but having not been familiar with Goodhart’s work, I’m really hoping he stays on for the next arc at least, or long enough to where we see him draw Batgirl in action.
The artwork seriously carried Batgirl #7 in my opinion. The writing, I didn’t like at all.
Tate Brombal clearly loves writing Shiva, and clearly is savoring getting into revamping her backstory (and there’s been a lot of that going around, with Mark Waid’s History of the DC Universe on its way in a month or so), but as I’ve been writing with every review, the voice he gives the character is so overwritten and so stereotypically “Asian” that it takes me out every time. Everything is rendered in poetic metaphor, designating an older time where people expressed themselves in ideas and imagery rather than speaking plainly. There’s a time and place for that with this issue. Their master Akhu speaking in that manner is perfectly fine, because he’s introduced (and presumably taken out) in a single issue and he fills the old master role. But the problem is everyone is talking like this – this, being the same exact manner Shiva’s spoken like up until now and not a hundred miles away from how we’ve seen Cassandra speak.
I want to be delicate here, because this is Brombal’s story and he can depict the characters’ voices however he chooses. Again, there’s clear love and affection for not just Cass but especially Shiva in that after an intro arc where we got her character in every issue we’re stopping Cassandra’s story to keep writing about Shiva. He loves her. I just wish that love expressed itself outside of seriously old cliche’d martial arts writing. Because it’s not just the depiction of language that’s the issue, but it’s how that language is endemic to unsubtle characterization that, in my opinion, lets Shiva’s character down. Throughout Batgirl #7 we’re shown headlights of the darkness that Shiva’s meant to go down toward. Everything from her father’s blood splashing on her face to her wanting to jump into action as opposed to her perfect sister, to he narration talking about this call of darkness. To her constantly wearing red. If you’re unfamiliar with Shiva – and there might be plenty readers who are – this is sufficient groundwork for building the idea of her in the future, that she’s destined, or cursed, to live a life of terrible violence.
It’s just that the best Shiva stories, including the ones with Batgirl, present the character as far less cookie-cutter than “I walk a path of blood and that sucks for me”. Shiva has been an incredibly zen character for much of her existence. Self-pity isn’t a good look on anyone, but for a grown woman who during the first arc was very shameless about her actions and her past, this reads to me as fairly juvenile. The details of her backstory in broad strokes – her parents’ murder, living in a monastery in the Himalayas, being different than her sister whom she loved – is solid as a backstory. But it’s told with such overt pathos that it lessens Shiva’s cool factor, because she’s seemingly appealing to Cassandra’s empathy and our empathy for an as-of-yet unknown reason. It’s classic dramatic storytelling, but one that is beneath the character.
I must once again admit to heavy bias when it comes to Shiva, and lend clemency to Brombal for putting so much time into reestablishing her for this new era of DC. To each their own. We’re going to get into her history with Richard Dragon and Bronze Tiger soon, which will really threaten to endanger the original elements of her creation. It will also show what parts of her character Brombal enjoys, and what parts he just throws out for simple retooling. Either way, I’m looking forward to more Isaac Goodhart artwork!
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In episode 277 of The Batman Universe Podcast, Ian (@ibmmiller) and BJ (@bjshea33) review the new audio drama podcast, DC High Volume: Batman – Year One. Who is this adaptation for? How does it compare to the comic and the 2010s animated adaptation?
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