DC have announced writer Ram V (“Catwoman,” “Swamp Thing”) and artist Rafael Albuquerque (“American Vampire”) will be the new creative team on “Detective Comics,” beginning with July’s issue #1062. Additionally, the series will be returning to a monthly schedule, and add a back-up segment, written by Si Spurrier (“Hellblazer”) with a different artist on each issue, spotlighting the different characters of Gotham.
The initial four-part story arc, colored by Dave Stewart, will be the music-inspired ‘Gotham Nocturne.’ It will sees Bruce Wayne being haunted by seemingly “real demons, [who] are creeping through the shadows of Gotham City, answering the clarion call of a strange melody that’s haunting Gotham… and seems to be turning its denizens into something else. The curtains are rising on a new, terrifying mystery as Batman tries to figure out what’s happening to both the city he protects and his own mind in this lush, operatic mystery.”
Ram V (full name Ramnarayan Venkatesan) said, “It’s a thrill to be writing a title with the kind of history and pedigree that ‘Detective Comics’ has. When the opportunity first came across my desk, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. For me, the draw of Batman as a character and that of the world around him had always been this blanket of tragedy that lay above it all. So, with that perspective, ‘Gotham Nocturne’ is a quintessentially Batman story, told with the aesthetics of a gothic opera.”
Rafael Albuquerque added, “Batman is a legend we all grew up with and most of us spent a lot of time just imagining what we would do if we were in this position. That’s how serious Batman is to me and I have been lucky enough to do a little bit of it over my time as an artist. Ram V brings something special to the table. Unique. Ram’s story not only matches my vision of this beloved character but also twists it, elevating it to another level, making me want to be part of this special new take, that I think is going to be as special to the fans as it’s been for me.”
“Detective Comics” #1062 will be released on July 26, with a main cover by Evan Cagle, and variants by Lee Bermejo, J.H. Williams III, and InHyuk Lee. The back-up by Spurrier will feature art by Dani (“Arkham City: Order of the World”), and follow Jim Gordon’s return as a private investigator. DC also announced Ivan Reis, who will provide art on outgoing writer Mariko Tamiko’s final story, will return for the subsequent arc beginning in issue #1066. For more, head to the full announcement here.
