Writer Chip Zdarsky and Artist Jorge Jimenez Team Up For Return To Batman in July

JB Augustine |

Mar 15, 2022

Source: Batman #125, cover by Jorge Jimenez, DC Comics

DC has announced the next creative duo that will be in charge of Batman starting this summer and it’s a pair familiar with the Dark Knight.

DC Nation #0 Cover - Art by Jorge Jimenez - DC Comics

The company broke the news to retailers at ComicsPRO 2022 that Batman: The Knight scribe Chip Zdarsky and Joker War artist Jorge Jimenez are joining forces for “Failsafe,” a six-issue arc taking over after Joshua Williamson’s tenure ends.

“To say that this is a dream job is an understatement,” Zdarsky said. “Writing Batman, carving out his terrifying future has been so much fun, and getting to do it with Jorge, the perfect modern Batman artist, is almost overwhelming! Failsafe is just the beginning; Jorge and I are taking Bruce Wayne to some really wild places and we hope everyone enjoys the ride!”

“Returning to Batman is something really special for me,” adds Jimenez. “Doing this with Chip, one of the best writers in comics, is simply the best possible scenario at this point in my career. Chip’s writing is inspiring me to create a new narrative and aesthetic, and I can’t wait to show Batman fans something different from my previous run.”

DC offered up a slight tease of what to expect from Failsafe, which begins with the oversized 125th issue of Batman going on sale in July, and it includes the appearance on the scene of a mysterious “enemy from Batman’s past” out to end him like all the rest.

“Along with Tomeu Morey on colors, ‘Failsafe’ is the team’s six-issue debut story arc,” said DC. “Bruce Wayne is having nightmares of a future he can’t stop. But he may not make it to that future, as a startling enemy from Batman’s past has one relentless goal. To end Batman, no matter what it takes.”

Batman #125 will come out with the main wraparound cover by Jimenez and variant covers by InHyuk Lee and Simone Di Meo, but that wasn’t all comic retailers were treated to during the ComicsPRO conference.

Aquaman and The Flash team up to take on a threat from outer space in the three-issue mini-series Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong by Collin Kelley, Jackson Lanzing, Vasco Georgiev, and Rain Beredo.

Beings descend from the heavens “in monumental ships like floating cathedrals” with one goal: “drain the Earth of all its kinetic energy and leave it a lifeless husk!”

Stuck in the Speed Force and exploring the deepest undersea ravine, imaginable The Flash and Aquaman avoided the aliens’ initial strike – playing a musical note that froze everyone on Earth in place. This leaves them as the only two who can stop what’s coming.

On sale starting in late June with a 56-page issue, Voidsong will run through August and then be collected into a paperback in October.

DC is also dipping its toes into mecha anime with DC Mech, headed by the team of Kenny Porter (Flash: The Fastest Man Alive) and Baldemar Rivas (Batman: Urban Legends) to usher in the “dawn of a brave new mechanized DCU.”

In a cross between Pacific Rim and every New Gods story ever, gigantic mechanized Parademons from Apokolips invade Earth and devastate the Justice Society of America, bringing an end to the age of heroes.

Stockpiling mech “battle suits” began and spawned new protectors in the event Apokolips returned. The two greatest are Flash and Batman but when Kal-El, the last son of a dying world, crash lands on Earth with his own suit, he presents a new challenge.

Issue #1 out of 6 of DC Mech lands in stores on July 26.

Lastly, DC is releasing a middle-grade book in November continuing the story of Wonder Woman and Nubia.

Diana and Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons, a follow-up to Diana, Princess of the Amazons by writers Shannon and Dean Hale and artist Victoria Ying, introduces Princess Nubia – daughter and niece of Themyscira’s warriors.

A lonely kid on an island of grown-ups, she wishes things were different, and – poof – she’s sharing a room with a new sister she doesn’t know, Diana. Now the two must adjust to “the trials and joys of siblings.” Be careful what you wish for, indeed.

These new comics start rolling out later this year, giving all who are intrigued time to prepare for their arrival. Are you among those anticipating and planning on picking up any of them? Leave a comment.