DC has revealed another Black Label mini-series, Batman: City of Madness.
The amazing Christian Ward will write and illustrate the tale, the premise of which has Batman discovers a horrific “Gotham Below” that has disturbed mirror versions of every citizen, including the Dark Knight himself. The story also heavily features the Court of Owls as the gatekeepers to this dark mirror image of batman’s home.
It will be released as a three-part prestige format mini-series. Check out the official solicitation below:
Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above.
For decades, the doorway between the cities has been sealed and heavily guarded by the Court of Owls. But now the door swings wide, and the twisted version of the Dark Knight has escaped…to trap and train a Robin of his own. Batman must form an uneasy alliance with the Court and its deadly allies to stop him—and to hold back the wave of twisted super-villains, nightmarish versions of his own nemeses, each one worse than the last, that’s spilling into his streets!
Visionary writer-artist Christian Ward unleashes his cosmic-horror take on Batman’s world, in a tribute to disturbing Dark Knight classics like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Gothic! You’ll never look at Batman’s villains the same way again…you simply won’t have the stomach for it!
The Inspirations for ‘City of Madness’
Main Cover by Christian Ward
Variant by Christian Ward
Variant by Martin Simmonds
Variant by Bill Sienkiewicz
Interiors by Christian Ward
Creator Christian Ward took to Twitter to talk about his excitement for the series. Ward describes it as his “cosmic horror” take on Batman. He also called City of Madness as a “pseudo-sequel to Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth“.
How it began… https://t.co/xwLCsXoayM
— Christian Ward (@cjwardart) July 24, 2023
His other Batman inspirations include Court of Owls and The Cult. However, looking at the cover art and solicitation, he seems to also take inspiration from HP Lovecraft and the Jordan Peele Film Us.
It’s always cool to see Batman cross genres and delve into horror. Given how malleable the character is, this could be another fascinating horror take on the Dark Knight.
Batman: City of Madness #1 hits comic shops on October 10.
Source: Comicbook.com
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
