Following up on Newsarama's announcement Friday that Batman and Detective Comics will join Action Comics and Justice League (among others) in April as titles featuring a $3.99 cover price and higher page count, Monday morning DC revealed the extra content that will be included in Batman, along with a May 2012 Batman crossover event.
Batman #8 will debut a series of back-up stories “exploring the dark history of the Court of Owls, the mysterious and malevolent secret society wreaking havoc upon Gotham City in the ongoing series.”
The back-up feature will be written by the main series’ writer Scott Snyder (co-written by James Tynion IV), reteaming Snyder with his American Vampire artist Rafael Albuquerque.
According to the publisher, “These back-up stories with continue to reveal more about the Court’s sinister agenda as we move toward ‘The Night of The Owls’ – a massive crossover event coming in May, which will span the Bat-books and reveal the full breadth of their master plan. With their claws sunk into Gotham history, the Owls represent a threat unlike anything Batman’s faced before, threatening to tip the city’s balance of power once and for all.”
“The first backup, in issue eight will give a sense of the terrifying scope of the Court of Owls’ attack on Gotham. This really will be the first shot in a war for the soul of Gotham City,” said Snyder. “And then, starting in issue nine, we’ll begin a three part story called ‘The Fall of the House of Wayne’ that will investigate the secret history of the Court of Owls and its relationship to the Wayne family – particularly to Thomas and Martha Wayne, Bruce’s parents. The story will be told from the point of view of Jarvis Pennyworth, Alfred’s father, and offer some big surprises and shocks about the forces that shaped the bat-mythology as we know it. Can’t wait for you all to see these stories!
“I’m also excited to be co-writing with my friend, James Tynion IV, a young writer I’m extremely excited about. Especially in the spirit of the New 52, it’s a real thrill to get to give someone new and talented a chance to get his foot in the door, and James is a writer to watch and expect great things from!”
“And of course, I’m over the moon about getting to work with my good friend and American Vampire co-creator Rafael Albuquerque on the some of the very first ones!”
Here’s the cover for Batman #8 (by Greg Capullo) – along with some Albuquerque character sketches for the back-ups.
