James Harvey
11-12-2001, 05:12 PM
In October, we learned that Superman will be turning <a href="http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10521">600</a>. Now it looks like Batman will follow suit the following month! DC Comics is proud to announce that the ongoing comic Batman will reach it's 600th issue in Febuary 2002! <a href="http://www.comicon.com/newsarama">Comic Newsarama</a> was able to catch up with the crew behind the amazing Batman comic and got the lowdown the upcoming milestone.The information below was originally reported on Comic Newsarama.
<a href="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2002-01/batman/batman599.gif"><img src="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2002-01/batman/batman599.gif" vspace=3 hspace=3 height=200 width=137 align="right" alt="Batman #599" border=0></a>
Like it's two previous 100th issue anniversaries, (where the title was involved in Knightfall and the release of all his enemies from Arkham for its 500th and 400th issues, respectively), Batman #600 will find its title character in an equally tight spot, as the issue serves as the kickoff to the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive? storyline.
Batman's regular creative team of Ed Brubaker, Scott McDaniel and Andy Owen will tell the opening 32-page story, which will follow up on events of Birds of Prey #40, the concluding chapter of Bruce Wayne: Murderer. For the first time, the members of the Bat Family will get to confront their leader on recent events, something that will lead to a violent physical confrontation between Batman and his most trusted ally.
?This is the big climax to the first half of our Bruce Wayne: Murderer storyline, and leads directly into Bruce Wayne: Fugitive?,? Brubaker said. ?This is an issue that we've been building up to for a long time in the Batbooks, and also has a lot of things that people have been waiting decades to see. I can't really say much more than that without ruining the storyline. I've also tried to make it easily accessible for casual readers, who may only have a general idea of who Batman even is, because this is a big issue and I'm hoping to get this seen by people other than our usual readership.?
The remainder of the 64-page issue will include three backup stories that, as editor Bob Schreck explained it, will be quite lighter in tone than the lead. ?We?re going to kid around with the reader and jokingly infer that the following, newly-created tales were just lost in some drawer somewhere and we've dusted them off for printing here for the very first time,? Schreck said. ?A tribute to days gone by.?
The approach has the stamp of approval from Batman?s main writer, who will contribute two of the three stories as well.
<a href="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-12/batman/batman598.jpg"><img src="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-12/batman/batman598.jpg" vspace=3 hspace=3 border=0 align="left" height=200 alt="Batman #598" width=137></a>
?The idea with the back-ups is something that has always appealed to me, which is to create fake artifacts,? Brubaker said. ?I did this in an issue of Deadenders, and also in an issue of my alternative comic Lowlife, and it's something that I love because it makes the entire comic part of the fiction. In Batman #600, we have created three special back-up stories that are presented as if they were inventory stories that were never used for one reason or another. At the end of the comic, we then give credit to the stories and talk about how and why they were created. It was also a chance to pay homage to different eras of Batman and comics in general, which is something I feel it's important to do on anniversary issues like this. Batman #600 is a really big deal, and I've been working with Bob Schreck on making it really cool for almost a year now, so I really hope people dig it.?
The first story of the three is entitled The Mystery of the Black Bat, and is written by Brubaker, with art by James Tucker, a storyboard artist on both Batman Adventures and the upcoming Justice League cartoon. The story is an homage to the work of Bill Finger and Dick Sprang.
Next up is Joker Tips His Hat, again written by Brubaker, with art by Stefano (Batman: Our Worlds at War) Gaudiano and Eric (Age of Bronze) Shanower. The second story is an homage to the ?hip mod? version of Batman defined in the mid to late 60s by Gil Kane and Carmine Infantino, among others, and often scripted by such writers as Frank Robbins and Gardner Fox.
Patton Oswalt, a new name to comics, but not to ?comics? ? writes the third backup. A stand up comedian, TV screenwriter and actor, Oswalt is frequently seen on CBS? King of Queens as Spence. Oswalt was also the head writer on MAD TV during its inaugural season. Given the writer?s background, it?s safe money that the story will be comedy, something even more likely when the story?s artist is named: Sergio Aragones. Together, Oswalt and Aragones will present a Plop-style parody of Batman with a ?70s feel.
For more information, go to <a href="http://www.comicon.com/newsarama">Comic Newsarama</a>. The ongoing Batman comic is one of the few comics to reach it's 600th issue.
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/batman600.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/batman600.jpg" height=200 width=129 border=0 vspace=3 hspace=3 align="right" alt="Batman #600"></a>
DC Comics also provided the website <a href="http://www.***************.com">Comics Continuum</a> with the official synopsis and cover of Batman #600. The full Febuary DC soliciations will be released next week or the following week. The company describes the issue:
"All the members of Batman's hand-picked team finally catch up with him for the first time since the events of Birds of Prey #40. Convening in the Batcave, they confront Batman for his alleged crime, and for evading the criminal justice system. Dick Grayson is pushed to his limits by Batman's betrayal of someone close to him, making Grayson an orphan once again. Batman's behavior is so disturbing that it only adds to doubts of his innocence - resulting in Batman and Nightwing going toe-to-toe in an amazing display of combat between teacher and student. Will Batman make his long transition into Gotham's guardian complete by getting rid of his closest confidante?"
The cover price will be $3.95 US/$6.25 CAN and will hit stands Febuary 27th, 2002.
<a href="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2002-01/batman/batman599.gif"><img src="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2002-01/batman/batman599.gif" vspace=3 hspace=3 height=200 width=137 align="right" alt="Batman #599" border=0></a>
Like it's two previous 100th issue anniversaries, (where the title was involved in Knightfall and the release of all his enemies from Arkham for its 500th and 400th issues, respectively), Batman #600 will find its title character in an equally tight spot, as the issue serves as the kickoff to the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive? storyline.
Batman's regular creative team of Ed Brubaker, Scott McDaniel and Andy Owen will tell the opening 32-page story, which will follow up on events of Birds of Prey #40, the concluding chapter of Bruce Wayne: Murderer. For the first time, the members of the Bat Family will get to confront their leader on recent events, something that will lead to a violent physical confrontation between Batman and his most trusted ally.
?This is the big climax to the first half of our Bruce Wayne: Murderer storyline, and leads directly into Bruce Wayne: Fugitive?,? Brubaker said. ?This is an issue that we've been building up to for a long time in the Batbooks, and also has a lot of things that people have been waiting decades to see. I can't really say much more than that without ruining the storyline. I've also tried to make it easily accessible for casual readers, who may only have a general idea of who Batman even is, because this is a big issue and I'm hoping to get this seen by people other than our usual readership.?
The remainder of the 64-page issue will include three backup stories that, as editor Bob Schreck explained it, will be quite lighter in tone than the lead. ?We?re going to kid around with the reader and jokingly infer that the following, newly-created tales were just lost in some drawer somewhere and we've dusted them off for printing here for the very first time,? Schreck said. ?A tribute to days gone by.?
The approach has the stamp of approval from Batman?s main writer, who will contribute two of the three stories as well.
<a href="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-12/batman/batman598.jpg"><img src="http://www.toonzone.net/comics/covers/2001-12/batman/batman598.jpg" vspace=3 hspace=3 border=0 align="left" height=200 alt="Batman #598" width=137></a>
?The idea with the back-ups is something that has always appealed to me, which is to create fake artifacts,? Brubaker said. ?I did this in an issue of Deadenders, and also in an issue of my alternative comic Lowlife, and it's something that I love because it makes the entire comic part of the fiction. In Batman #600, we have created three special back-up stories that are presented as if they were inventory stories that were never used for one reason or another. At the end of the comic, we then give credit to the stories and talk about how and why they were created. It was also a chance to pay homage to different eras of Batman and comics in general, which is something I feel it's important to do on anniversary issues like this. Batman #600 is a really big deal, and I've been working with Bob Schreck on making it really cool for almost a year now, so I really hope people dig it.?
The first story of the three is entitled The Mystery of the Black Bat, and is written by Brubaker, with art by James Tucker, a storyboard artist on both Batman Adventures and the upcoming Justice League cartoon. The story is an homage to the work of Bill Finger and Dick Sprang.
Next up is Joker Tips His Hat, again written by Brubaker, with art by Stefano (Batman: Our Worlds at War) Gaudiano and Eric (Age of Bronze) Shanower. The second story is an homage to the ?hip mod? version of Batman defined in the mid to late 60s by Gil Kane and Carmine Infantino, among others, and often scripted by such writers as Frank Robbins and Gardner Fox.
Patton Oswalt, a new name to comics, but not to ?comics? ? writes the third backup. A stand up comedian, TV screenwriter and actor, Oswalt is frequently seen on CBS? King of Queens as Spence. Oswalt was also the head writer on MAD TV during its inaugural season. Given the writer?s background, it?s safe money that the story will be comedy, something even more likely when the story?s artist is named: Sergio Aragones. Together, Oswalt and Aragones will present a Plop-style parody of Batman with a ?70s feel.
For more information, go to <a href="http://www.comicon.com/newsarama">Comic Newsarama</a>. The ongoing Batman comic is one of the few comics to reach it's 600th issue.
<a href="http://news.toonzone.net/images/batman600.jpg"><img src="http://news.toonzone.net/images/batman600.jpg" height=200 width=129 border=0 vspace=3 hspace=3 align="right" alt="Batman #600"></a>
DC Comics also provided the website <a href="http://www.***************.com">Comics Continuum</a> with the official synopsis and cover of Batman #600. The full Febuary DC soliciations will be released next week or the following week. The company describes the issue:
"All the members of Batman's hand-picked team finally catch up with him for the first time since the events of Birds of Prey #40. Convening in the Batcave, they confront Batman for his alleged crime, and for evading the criminal justice system. Dick Grayson is pushed to his limits by Batman's betrayal of someone close to him, making Grayson an orphan once again. Batman's behavior is so disturbing that it only adds to doubts of his innocence - resulting in Batman and Nightwing going toe-to-toe in an amazing display of combat between teacher and student. Will Batman make his long transition into Gotham's guardian complete by getting rid of his closest confidante?"
The cover price will be $3.95 US/$6.25 CAN and will hit stands Febuary 27th, 2002.