DC Comics hosted a Batman panel at WonderCon on Friday, March 29th to celebrate the character turning 80. The panel was moderated by Sam Humphries, and the panelists included Greg Capullo, Peter Tomasi, Joëlle Jones, Becky Cloonan, Scott Snyder, and Tom King. They shared their experiences with the character and even had a couple of big announcements.
The first announcement was the changing of the Detective Comics logo. The second was a new comic from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman: Last Knight on Earth. The panel gave attendees a sneak peek at some of Capullo’s artwork on the title and its safe to say that I’m excited for this one. While I’m not entirely caught up on the work that the two have done since New 52, I’ve seen enough to know that I’m in for the long haul with both creators.
While discussing their first experiences with Batman, Joëlle Jones commented on how people are just born knowing who Batman is. After taking a moment to think about that, I honestly couldn’t tell you when I first heard about Batman. He was just always around. I didn’t get into comics heavily until about 2015. Since then, I’ve spent hours pouring over pages of Batman comics, but I knew who he was way before that. I can’t pinpoint when. So that comment stuck with me, as I’m sure it stuck with many others because it really does seem true.
Batman: The Long Halloween remains one of my favorite comics that I’ve read, and it’s safe to say that Batman is one of my favorite comic book characters. Many writers have taken on the character in different ways, and while not every story might be a hit, there are a lot that are worth diving into. Thankfully, one of the libraries nearby has a substantial stock of Batman comics; otherwise, my room might be overflowing with them.
I’m not fully caught up on Tom King’s run on Batman, but it’s exciting to know that he has a plan for 100 issues, even if he admittedly did not have as precise of a presentation as Scott Snyder did when they pitched DC their ideas. It was fantastic to see the camaraderie that the writers have since they’ve both been working on Batman stories that are unique and compelling.
Even though Bruce Wayne comes from old money and has a ton of resources at his disposal, it’s the loss that makes him relatable. He takes that loss and uses his alter ego, Batman, as a force for good. He might not always make the best decision, but there are much worse things he could be doing with the amount of money and power that he has. And we all know that the DC world doesn’t need another Lex Luthor in it. One is more than enough.
If you want to celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary, here are some of the comics I’d recommend checking out.
- Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
- Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
- Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder and Jock
- Batman: I Am Gotham by Tom King and David Finch
- Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Most of these selections are jumping on points or great standalone graphic novels. If you haven’t had a chance to dive into Batman comics before, hopefully you find something you can enjoy.