DC Announces Full Batman Day Plans

Years ago, DC and its parent company Warner Bros declared the third Saturday in September would henceforth be Batman Day and they would be releasing their most ambitious Bat-Products on that date or close to it. This year Batman Day falls on September 19. We already talked about Batman Of Two Worlds, the comic they’re making available on that day, but there will be more both inside and outside of comic shops, including multiple new hardcovers and even giveaway masks.

Batman Of Two Worlds is the big one, and despite what the cover might suggest, it is NOT a full-on crossover between the mainline Batman and the Absolute Batman. Instead the contents are two brand-new stories starring both characters. The Batman story comes from writer Matt Fraction and artist Javi Fernández, with colors by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles. The Absolute Batman story is by writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Derington, with colors by Frank Martin and letters by Tom Napolitano. Neither have appeared in print before, and the price of $2.99 is the icing on the cake.

“You have two different looks at Batman,” said Matt Fraction. “The moral structures, the ethical structures, the political structures. A chance to put them side by side and see the similarities and differences.” “This is just such a unique moment,” added Scott Snyder. “The mission was to show what’s special about each interpretation. The two stories are both about Batman’s form of justice.”

For those looking to expand their Bat-Library, there will also be five new hardcover books released on Batman Day, most of them reissues.

• Batman Vol. 1: Daylight (HC, $29.99 US) by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez, with a new Batman Day cover by Jiménez paying homage to Absolute Batman #1’s cover by Nick Dragotta
• Batman ’89 (HC, $29.99 US) by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones, with a Batman Day exclusive dust jacket with artwork from the 1989 Batman movie and a digital code for the film
• Batman: H2SH Volume One (HC, $29.99 US) by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Deluxe Edition (HC, $44.99 US) by Frank Miller, with a new cover by Raymond Swanland featuring artwork from the animated adaptations and a digital code for the animated movies
• Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham – The Deluxe Edition (HC, $34.99 US) by Rafael Grampá

DC’s digital comics platform, DC Universe Infinite, will offer a curated collection of free to read Batman comics on Batman Day including Absolute Batman #1-3 and the complete Batman: Wayne Family Adventures series in vertical scrolling format. Anyone can read the freebies, but those with paid subscriptions will get free Batcave Props in LEGO Batman™: Legacy of the Dark Knight, assuming they also own that game.

Finally, the masks. Here’s what they look like:

Drawn by Ryan Sook, they’re intended to evoke the styles of Jorge Jiménez, Nick Dragotta, Jim Lee, and Frank Miller respectively. They’ll be available at any participating local comics shop.