In-Depth Looks at Big Changes in Batman-Related Books!

There are some BIG changes coming to the Batman family of comics and now there’s a head-first dive into the shakeup. Between new titles and major shifts in existing characters, take a long look at what’s coming up.

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"“Imagine going to high school and then looking up at night and, oh, there’s the Bat-signal when you’re at band practice.”That’s how Cloonan describes the youthful perspective of Gotham Academy (Oct. 1), co-written by Brenden Fletcher and illustrated by Karl Kerschl. With an old ghost-story feel and kid-friendly appeal, the series follows a group of teens at the prestigious prep school who get involved in mysteries that run deep into Gotham’s lore and also Batman’s own history.Barbara Gordon is moving out of central Gotham and into nearby Burnside — a hip,Brooklyn sort of borough — in Batgirl No. 35 (Oct. 8).The heroine gets a new supporting cast, including her roommate Frankie and Barbara’s classmates at Burnside College, where she’s working on her thesis in urban geography. Yet she can’t escape supervillains, and Batgirl soon meets a pair of twin sword-swinging motorcycle assassins known as the Jawbreakers.Arkham ManorBatman villains such as Mr. Freeze and the Scarecrow have made it a habit of breaking out of Arkham Asylum, but now Gotham’s craziest inmates are being housed and treated at, ironically, Bruce Wayne’s not-so-humble abode.Duggan and artist Shawn Crystal’sArkham Manor (Oct. 22) brings murder mysteries and a horror/comedy balance into the lives of orderlies, patients and main man Dr. Arkham.CatwomanCatwoman has long skulked in that gray area between criminal and Batman ally, yet writer Genevieve Valentine is taking alter ego Selina Kyle in a new direction: as Gotham’s latest crime boss.Catwoman is the odd woman out in the family, she’s trying to woo other criminal kingpins into her syndicate, and there is one bad guy who’s definitely out for blood.Gotham by MidnightThe city has always had a weird nightmare side to it, and that’s where Gotham by Midnight (Nov. 26) comes in as “our unashamedly dark, freaky, weird book,” says writer Ray Fawkes.The series stars Gotham cop Jim Corrigan and his task force as they investigate strange supernatural cases — one of his guys is a forensic doctor who takes everything at face value, even a screaming three-headed beast with a talking tongue."

Yawza! Add this to the overhaul of Nightwing with Grayson, and the Batman universe is a whole lot different than the one we are used to. This could be an exciting new era in DC comics.

Source: USA Today