Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, Dani, dave stewart, dc comics, Rafael Albuquerque, ram v, si spurrier

Ram V, Rafael Albuquerque, Si Spurrier & Dani Take Detective Comics

Yesterday, Bleeding Cool ran news of comic book writer Ram V posting a tease that he, Rafael Albuquerque and Dave Stewart are working on a Batman-related book. He posted the following images with the tweet "Soon! My next project at @DCComics with the incredible @rafaalbuquerque on art @Dragonmnky on colours. Details incoming this week. Much excite." adding today "New Book! Announcement goes live tomorrow!" And that Jess Chen would be the book's editor. 

Well, it's confirmed that it's Detective Comics. The first DC comic book, the book that named DC Comics, and the original home of Batman. With Ram, Rafael and Dave taking over in July with Detective Comics #1062, on sale on the 26th of July. And more besides.

Batman finds himself in a strange, dark Gotham City as he's pulled into a high Gothic story like nothing he's seen, or heard, before. The story starts with "Gotham Nocturne" part 1 of 4: "Overture." Something is terribly wrong with Batman. No matter the tests Bruce takes, nor the numbers he counts, the greatest detective in the world can't pin down the source of this creeping dread—of his own inner demons and a looming mortality. He's not alone in the grips of this terror, as it seems real demons 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.

Writer Ram V said, of joining Detective Comics, "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." He added, "I'm lucky to be working with a fantastic group of creatives and editors on the project. It is hard to envision a more perfect set of collaborators than Rafael Albuquerque and Dave Stewart. Both of them are already titans in their own right but I think they are great fits particularly for the aesthetic lens of the story. I cannot wait for readers to experience what we're creating. It is an ambitious story. One that is hopefully worthy of the title that puts the DC in DC!"

Artist Rafael Albuquerque also shared his excitement about telling this story. "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."

Each issue of Detective Comics will also feature a back-up story by writer Si Spurrier (John Constantine: Hellblazer, Suicide Squad: Blaze) exploring other stories of Gotham City—starting with Jim Gordon's return as a private investigator. Artist Dani (Arkham City: Order of the World) joins Si to tell this noir-tinged story as Gordon's investigation weaves into Batman's.

Issue #1062 will have main cover drawn by Evan Cagle, with variant covers by Lee Bermejo and J.H. Williams III, as well as a 1:25 variant cover by InHyuk Lee, and 1:50 foil variant by J.H. Williams. Artist Ivan Reis will also return to the book in Issue #1066, as the story continues to wind through the shadowed back alleys of Gotham City.

Ram V is the British-based writer of Venom, Swamp Thing and Justice League Dark, as well as Catwoman, Paradiso, Brigands, These Savage Shores, The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr, Radio Apocalypse, Blue In Green, Grafity's Wall and more. Rafael Albuquerque is a Brazilian comic book creator, co-creator of American Vampire, Huck, Prodigy and known for his work on All-Star Batman, Animal Man, Batman, Detective Comics, Blue Beetle, Superman/Batman, A Study in Emerald, and Eight Forasteiro. Dave Stewart is a legendary multiple Eisner Award-winning comic book colourist, known for Hellboy, The Goon, Umbrella Academy, The New Frontier, Batman, Superman, X-Men, Daredevil and so much more.

Simon Spurrier is a British comics writer and novelist, who also worked as an art director for the BBC. Known for his 2000AD work, including Judge Dredd, he wrote Marvel's X-Force in 2014, X-Men Legacy, which was adapted as the TV series Legion and wrote Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, winning him a GLAAD Award. He wrote the Crossed webcomic Wish You Were Here, and the Crossed Badlands series. He was chosen by Neil Gaiman to work on the Sandman Presents series, writing The Dreaming and John Constantine. He has recently written Justice League, The Shadow, the Boom Jim Henson series The Dark Crystal, Titan's Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor, Way Of X and Black Knight.  And has also co-created a number of comics such as Gutsville, Coda, Six-Gun Gorilla, Disenchanted, Extermination, Cry Havoc, Weavers, Godshaper, Angelic, Alienated, Motherlands and The Spire. Oh and he was also a columnist for Bleeding Cool with his Short And Curlies weekly column.

Dani, Dani K or Dani Strips is a comic book artist best known for 2000AD, Coffin Bound, The Low Low Woods, Deep Roots, Dirk Gently, Wonder Woman and Casual Fling.

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