John Layman and Jason Fabok are the new writer and artist of Detective Comics starting with October's thirteenth issue. While Fabok has been helping out on art for The Dark Knight, making him well familiar with Batman, this is Layman's (Chew) first work for DC Comics, a fact not lost on the writer.
“Obviously, this is a happily surreal and exciting turn-of-events for my career. Not only is this my first work within the DC Universe, but I get to work
on one of DC’s undisputedly coolest and highest-profile characters. I’m
going to take a look at the role of criminal organizations within
Gotham City, hopefully from a perspective that does not get considered
very often (if at all). From the symbiotic relationship a master
criminal must have with Gotham in order to survive, to the lowly, often
faceless criminal underling hoping to rise up the ranks. All that, plus
Batman’s gonna play with a bunch of crazy new toys and kick all kinds of
butt," the writer told DC's blog The Source.
Fabok, meanwhile, promises "a dark, epic Batman with hints of the art deco stylings of the old
animated series and the more modern take seen in recent incarnations." Of Layman, the artist says, "I couldn't be more excited. John is a great visual storyteller and he
packs every page with meaningful panels that bring the story forward and
add incredible depth."
The creative team takes over for writer/artist Tony Daniel, who announced his leaving last week. Daniel has multiple upcoming projects he expects the publisher to announce soon. Daniel's final issue of both jobs is #12, while still providing art for the zero issue in September. Daniel has been drawing Batman in various books since October 2007, first working with Grant Morrison before taking on a writer role himself.
