DC Comics have released their full October 2023 solicitations, which include “Batman: City of Madness,” a three-issue Black Label series by writer/artist Christian Ward. The horror comic will introduce the Gotham Below, an even darker version of the city and its inhabitants that has been sealed off by the Court of Owls – until now. When its denizens, including a monstrous version of Batman, are set loose, our Batman “must form an uneasy alliance with the Court and its deadly allies” to stop them.
On Twitter, Ward says the concept originated from a piece of fan art he did last year, imagining a Lovecraftian version of the Dark Knight. He describes it as his love letter to Batman, and a pseudo-sequel to Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth,” stating, “I have absolutely not come to play.” He chose to feature the Court of Owls as he considers them Batman’s greatest modern villains, stating Scott Snyder and Capullo’s “‘Court of Owls’ is one of my favourite Bat stories, and without them this book wouldn’t exist.”
The 48-page first issue will be released on October 10, and retail for $6.99. As well as Ward’s main cover, there will be a variant by Bill Sienkiewicz, a 1:25 variant by Martin Simmonds, and a 1:50 cover featuring Ward’s original fan art.
As well as “City of Madness,” the solicits also revealed a “Supergirl Special” from writer Mariko Tamaki (“Supergirl: Being Super”) and artist Skylar Patridge (“Wonder Woman”). The comic will find Kara Danvers feeling redundant as a result of Power Girl’s return. “Her identity and role are both in question as she looks for answers. Will they lead her out of the city or out of this world?” It will retail at 48 pages for $5.99 on October 31.
Furthermore, an “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special,” written by Tim Seeley, Joey Esposito and Ethan Sacks, with art by Miguel Mendonca, Ray Anthony-Height, and Scot Eaton, will also be released on Halloween. The three stories will follow King Arthur as he plans for his wedding to Mera; Black Manta on the hunt for Atlantean tech; and Orm as he plots his escape from prison. The 64-page book, which will retail for $6.99, will arrive two months before the movie, although that was cast in doubt last week in a Variety article stating Warner Bros. was mulling delaying several films to combat the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike. In any case, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently on course for a December 20 release.
In the meantime, head to the link to check out all of DC’s October releases, including some titles announced at San Diego Comic-Con.
