In defence of the virtual simulation twist, it's not always the case that such a reveal ruins the ending of a story. One of my favourite issues of Superman/Batman was #63 where Batman was running a simulation in which Grodd had released Kryptonite across the Earth to prevent Superman from remaining on the planet and took over the world. The conclusion wasn't diminished by the reveal that the events weren't real IMO.

Bleeding Cool thinks Ellis and Hitch are working on a Batman project. If true I expect a project from Priest as well down the road and Bendis is pretty much a given as King's eventual replacement.

Link

They'll probably solicit it around October-December at best seeing as Hitch is drawing Hawkman till issue 12 in May at the last.

It was executed well ofcourse but the concept itself is something that can seen as a bit of a cheat.

I don't have an issue with a storyline that reveals more about the inner workings of Batman's psyche; the only objection is that it was founded as a story set in reality and once it is revealed that is not the case the emotional investment through Batman's successes and failures during the story is rendered moot. It was also too long for a storyline that was basically Batman keeping his skills sharp.

At least it wasn't Batman using that device to visualize bachelor parties or whatever King is doing.

A Hitch/Ellis reunion sounds neat, even though Hitch has missed a step. Maybe it's an inker/colorist issue but his art has dulled a bit since the Authority and Ultimates days.

You know what dumber than Batman using that device to visualize bachelor parties? Bane and Thomas Wayne using a device to make Batman visualize bachelor parties.

@entropy_aegis: I'm almost certain that Thomas' motivation for joining Bane will be silly. It will probably be about how Thomas wants Bruce to stop being Batman or something simplistic that could had been solved by them just talking.

Well that was certainly an interesting twist. Mildly disappointing it took 6 issues but also very well done and enjoyable.

@morpheus_: Yup, its pretty predictable. The only question is whats going to happen after.

Bleeding Cool also thinks that the Ellis and Hitch Batman project will be 12 issues long and that Hitch may have already finished 2 issues.

Murphy now says that Curse of the White Knight will come out in the fall.

I'm guessing both will be revealed for October-November solicits. Batman/TMNT 3 and Last Knight both will wrap up their runs by then.

I just wonder when Johns 3 Jokers and Silvestri's Batman/Joker book will get release dates.

A Batman run from Ellis and Hitch sounds fantastic imo

Hitch hasn’t ever done a mainstream run on a DC character so it’ll be very cool to see how he plays with that universe on a longer stretch than just the 6 issues of JLA he wrote in Classified.

@theincrediblesuperhulk8642: You mean Ellis hasn't written a run for a mainstream DC character right?

Nonetheless, its exciting though I guess DC's gonna need Hitch to finish 6-8 issues before they think of soliciting it. At best they might officially confirm the project like they did for Curse of the White Knight, 3 Jokers, Arkham Asylum 2 and Deadly Duo.

Still we'll get a taste of how Ellis will write modern Batman quite soon in Tec 1000. Its already my second most

anticipated Batman project after Arkham Asylum 2.

@entropy_aegis: Yes indeed, he’s done a few in the WS Uni and Marvel Uni but this would be a first for DC right?

Yeah, they’re probably gonna wait quite a while before they start launching the series so Hitch can get as much done as possible. It’d be awesome if it was like Batman’s version of All Star Superman now that I think about it. (Love letter to the character by 2 massively talented creators)

Same hear man, can’t wait to read that short story and more Morrison Batman is always good news, especially if it’s Damian Batman (big fan of that elseworld timeline, there’s so much they could explore there)

@entropy_aegis: I cannot speak about the quality of Hitch's work there, but hasn't he been very consistent in his deadlines for Venditti's Hawkman? He's not approaching Gary Frank's level of lethargy, surely.

With Tomasi writing Tec and King still on Batman, the more mini-series we get from good creators the better. Obviously Johns' Three Jokers is the one I look forward to the least, but Ellis, Murphy, Silvestri and Morrison form a varied line-up full of potential. My only true concern is how Joker-centric the year will be yet again.

@morpheus_: Yup, he's drawn every issue of Hawkman and all of them have come out on time. Thats a plus but special projects seem to be something else at DC.

It does look like the 2 main ongoings will not much focus on the Joker but Snyder, Muphy, Johns and Silvestri obviously will focus on Joker. The only question now is whether Morrison and Ellis will use him or not.

@theincrediblesuperhulk8642: Yeah, JLA Classified exluded that does seem to be the case.

If it reaches even a 10th of ASS's quality then its going to be something special.

Its going to be a full fledged graphic novel and agreed, big fan of Morrison's Batman run myself.

That makes it all the more exciting.

Ahahahaha exactly, knowing Ellis though I don't expect to be dissapointed.

Morrison's Batman run is my definitive run on the character, although to be fair Morrison's run on anything is my definitive run

I just realized that this Knightmares crap is just an excuse for King to write more Bat/Cat rubbish. Just saw the preview for 66, seems like another Bat/Cat wankfest, then there's 68 which is about Catwoman's party and 69 which also seems to be Catwoman centric. So this rubbish arc is not even staying true to its premise of exploring Batman's nightmares. No its just doing variations of Bat/Cat shipping, honestly I'm just sick of Bat/Cat at this point, I pray to God that the next writer doesn't bother with romance for a good decade, thats actually one aspect of the Snyder run that I did appreciate.

@entropy_aegis: Yeah I definitely get why that twist is a copout in storytelling. If it seems like events such as the death of Leslie Thompkins and Ducard weren't real, then there was no point in making the readers think they had actually died.

Also that preview sounds dire, I don't even want to read it now. But technically Snyder did put Bruce a romance with Julie Madison.

@lvenger: to be fair the romance with Julie was well handled and not the focus point of a long drawn out 105 issue run, as soon as Bruce was Bruce again Julie was out of the picture. He didn’t become an incoherent, useless mope like under King.

Today's Batman starts strong, King has a decent handle on the Question's voice and Catwoman comes across less obnoxious than she normally does under his pen; the exchange is crisp and moves forward fast, not dwelling on King-esque repetitions, which was frankly refreshing for about two thirds of the issue.

Of course, this being King's Batman there is a point where it all goes to shit, with Bat/Cat, Batman can't be happy, and this is all a dream.

Respect to Fornes and Stewart for evoking Mazzucchelli and crafting a beautiful issue.

@lvenger: The Julie romance was an afterthought really, Bruce literally dumped her and never looked back.

@morpheus_: I found the whole concept awful from start to end. I dont understand why another issue had to be devoted to Catwoman and by the looks of things atleast one more(if not all) of the remaining Knightmares will be Catwoman centric.

King should have just written this non sense immediately after the wedding. King's perspective of what actually matters is completely bent. We are once again told that Batman is being induced these Knightmares while what we are actually shown is the same Bat/Cat crap about boats and streets and happiness. Infact King stated in an interview that Bane is responsible for this, seriously why isn't he showing this.

@entropy_aegis: The issue would have worked if it truly were Catwoman's perspective on things, not a projection of Batman's subconscious. Taken at face value, it was superior to King's usual portrayal of Selina. Given the concluding "reveal" it's just flat.

Question returns:

Written by King (and Bendis in AC)

Bad luck indeed.

Despite being almost entirely disconnected from the crossover it was meant to prologue, Deathstroke was a blast. If Priest keeps his writing at the same level, the Terminus Agenda will be another great installment to this run.

I really hope they can make Terminus Agenda work as Lazaru Contract left quite a bit to be desired.

Crossovers are inconsistent unless one writer handles them entirely.

I expect some solid character moments but that's about it. I have no doubt this will be a good story on Deathstroke's front, not necessarily a great story in general. What it truly accomplishes is giving leeway to Priest to finish or continue his run without expending half a year on a Deathstroke vs Titans story.

@morpheus_: I think the difference maker here is that I think there's an actual story to tell. You've got Slade and an edgy and brutal roster of TT who're going to lock up Slade in a secret prison.

Lazarus Contract existed only for the sake of nostalgia and it was also victim of editorial meddling.

So in an interview Snyder had this to say about the new JL:

" Martian Manhunter and Kendra have a child on this world. His name is Shane, and he’s got both of their abilities. He’s incredibly empathic and conductive, and he plays a big role in the arc.

Barry has combined with Wally and Jay to be a sort of ultimate Flash. So you see that.

John has become a White Lantern.

Batman is now somebody else. So that’s revealed next issue as well."

Knowing Snyder I assumed that the new Batman would be a clone of Bruce. Still might be(just called something else) but if not I'm gonna guess its either Dick or Damian. Dick because Jiminez created that costume for Earth-2 Dick.

It also says a lot that he didn't use Duke. He's practically given up on the character entirely.

@entropy_aegis: It's rather telling that Priest used that story as a catalyst for a radical turn in Slade's life, though. It was also the very first Deathstroke vs Titans storyline in the new continuity, something outrageous given their linked history.

It's not a bad idea for them to cross over or encounter one another frequently. Being Batman's rogue offers greater infamy but I don't see how you can keep making realistic scenarios for Slade to remain interested in fighting Bruce, there's nothing in it for him. With the Titans, it was (and based on the Lazarus Contract, it still is) personal.

You know my opinion by now, I believe this story exists to explore Damian's relationship with Slade, that's what prompted Priest to (co-)write it.

Using Duke as Batman would probably have people that aren't too intimately invested in DC's universe to shrug.

The J'onn/Kendra connection is one of my favorite things in this JL. The focus on J'onn in general pleases me, it was a disservice to sideline him in the N52.

If it were Dick or Damian as Batman Snyder would had probably been less cryptic than that.

@morpheus_: Yeah, Slade came out of it looking good. I appreciated the basic idea. It was really the Titans characters that brought it down.

I actually dont want Slade to be a permanent Bat rogue lol.

My own opinion is the same. Lets see where Priest takes it this time. I honestly think Damian may have surpassed Dick in having a relationship with Slade by the time this whole thing is done.

Those saying it had nothing to do with Cyborg were clearly delusional seeing as the Snyder run has completely talen Cyborg out of the picture. Also with JL tanking Cyborg's days as a JL member are numbered.

Well Snyder's less likely to use even Jason and Tim. It could be Terry but its a Superman focus arc, dont see Snyder introducing a whole new Batman character especially since he's already writing a future Batman arc.

@jake_fury: @lvenger: @morpheus_: @entropy_aegis:

Perhaps another (12-issue?) limited series soon?

Grim Knight's one-shot was intriguing... until it wasn't. I felt the character was a lot better before we got to see his life in greater depth. He's rather pitiable, in retrospect.

The problem is that Dick no longer has a relationship with Slade, and the main issue in the Lazarus Contract was that it was founded under the premise of people already being aware of the history between the Titans and Deathstroke - but there is no such guarantee. I appreciated the nuance Wolfman had steadily built in Slade and Dick's interactions only for Devin Grayson to destroy everything in a handful of stories.

With Damian and Slade it is more robust and directly antagonistic, perhaps because of Damian recognizing some truth in Slade's actions and morals while refusing to acknowledge the similarities between them.

I don't have any faith in King or interest in his upcoming projects. Learning about characters out of an outdated encyclopedia is lazy.

@morpheus_: Half agree. Yes, he's terrible. Sure, it may be outdated, but that doesn't diminish the value of it.

It has great value, but the histories outlined in that version no longer match the continuity King is writing for.

Basically, using that ensures he'll get things wrong.

Its stuff like Grim Knight and Batman who Laughs make me really question how much of Batman Snyder and Tynion really ever understood. If someone other than King was handling Batman then I think people would be calling out Snyder.

For one thing they once again ignore something that they introduced and imposed upon Batman's world, in this case its Zero Year. They just went ahead and used (ripped off Year One), which I dont mind but it highlights the short term tendencies of Snyder's ideas that are blown and over hyped out of proportion when they debut.

Grim Knight's background is lols worthy for its utter laziness, regular Bruce also trained with soldiers of fortune and assassins so this so called change that the writers try to highlight is silly and not really a change, they also impress upon us the idea that colorful villains never existed on Grim Knights world only to reference Croc, Penguin and Black Mask. Similarly like Chuckles he's given hype and off the page wank but on page he goes down to Jim Gordon. By the end I wasn't even convinced that he was capable of handling Robin, ANY Robin. Morrison executed the weaponized city idea with the 666 timeline much better than Snyder/Tynion.

The evil hybrid Batman gimmick that Snyder keeps jumping back to has run its course,its not fun anymore, time for this guy to move on permanently before he gives us a lackluster Captain America Batman or Green Goblin Batman or Wolverine Batman, I've just about had enough of it.

The sad thing is that Grayson's stories are probably the most famous ones about Dick and Slade lol.

I think its also because Damian and Slade's rivalry really cant be easily defined, Slade isn't some corrupting force trying to get Damian over to the dark side. Their enmity is strangely something that could have made sense with Batman and Deathstroke. They legit see themselves as equal rivals and enemies, it could have been a disaster (see Son of Batman animated film) as Slade is obviously so beyond Damian in every way so technically they aren't close to being equal rivals but Priest just makes it work due to his emphasis on character dynamics and interactions as opposed to using power levels or skills to sell their enmity.

@entropy_aegis: Snyder creates the characters yet he delegates their handling to other writers, notably Tynion. You could have summed up his presence as him picking up the gun after his parents died and every reader would have connected the dots, the entire issue is an exercise in futility. It doesn't humanize GK, it makes him seem feeble.

I simply presumed that universe never had a "Zero Year" event, even though Batman's continuity has been muddled ever since the N52 started.

Slade's talk with Dick after Slade was forced to kill Jericho is the absolute peak in multilayered interactions between the two. It all went downhill from there with Slade turning into a crazy bomber that hates Dick because... who knows?

It's more Damian's fear of being corrupted rather than Slade's intention to do so in the first place. That is why everyone treated the situation seriously in Deathstroke vs Batman; given Damian's nature, nurture and in spite of Batman's influence, would it had been really surprising if he were biologically related to Slade? They are two characters with many common points that they would prefer to deny than accept them and move past them.

Seemed like a parody of Miller's Batman tbh and not a good one. Atleast the Goddamn Batman was entertaining. He got whooped by Gordon h2h, seriously and yet his cover bills him as the most dangerous of all the Knights.

My problem is that ZY was Snyder's contribution to the mythos, it simply annoys me that even he cant be bothered with using his own story line. Why should other writers use ZY?

Stole his daughter? lol

Thats a good way of looking at it, makes sense especially in light of Deathstroke 34. Wonder if Bendis can replicate something similar between Ultraman and Jon...probably not.

DC June solicits are out, big developments

https://www.newsarama.com/44329-dc-comics-june-2019-solicitations.html

Looks like Damian kills Deathstroke. The new arc is called Deathstroke R.I.P, cute.

And Bane kicks Batman out of Gotham.

And Dr Doom is the new leader of Leviathan...or Talia has taken up Viktor's sense of fashion.

Seems like Leviathan isn't really a Superman centric after all. Bendis finally creates a cool (looking atleast) villain and doesn't even give him to Superman lol.

Speaking of Leviathan, Silencer is ending.

BMWL wraps up as does Tec's Arkham Knight arc. Spectre is also coming to Tec.

Rest is the same old.

I'm wondering if they just make his healing factor as powerful as in the Marv Wolfman era or if the find another way to bring him back.

I'm still in a state of shock. Those Batman and Deathstroke solicits are something.

Wow Deathstroke R.I.P looks interesting though I am not fully convinced that Damian is the one that actually kills Slade.

Also that Green Lantern story is so Morrison.

@entropy_aegis: Yeah, Deathstroke really does look like something else, mate. When I saw that cover I was in shock, literally. Priest is definitely taking Slade down a very interesting road and I, sure as hell, want to see how he will conclude his run.

Also, for the first time I am actually excited about what might come out of King's Batman.

I think we might be overreacting. RIP is common enough and Priest is heavily drawing comparisons between Batman and Slade while simultaneously grasping Batman's continuity at a high degree throughout his run. This could simply be a reference to Morrison's Batman. Maybe not thematically, but in name.

That said, I was curious how Priest would work his way to #50 and this is not something I expected. I doubt Damian will deliver the killing blow even if Slade indeed "dies" - this being Priest I find it more likely that Slade is the mastermind playing everyone and faking his death.

Let's hope Bendis writes her better than he did Doom himself. No, that's not a fan edit, it's exactly how it was printed.

@morpheus_: I dont doubt that Slade will either be resurrected or reveal that he was faking it because afterall even Batman didn't die in R.I.P but it would be huge if Priest ends his run by killing Slade and DC keeps him dead for a years. Its extremely unlikely but I'd be all for it. Plus if Damian or his team perform that deed then it will really solidify that roster as a major part of TT lore, certainly would be a one up over their predecessors.

Bendis wrote that? LMAO. Also not sure if its Talia or a new character. Assuming its a new guy I wonder if they'll have any staying power with in the al Ghul circle. They could be the a complete flop like Nyssa or succeed like Damian.

Also if he/she succeeds then I'll be really interested to see which rogues gallery claims him, Batman or Superman.

@tdk_1997: Yup, I wont deny that I am looking forward to "Fall and the Fallen"

@entropy_aegis: Yeah. Tom King might be able to end his run on a high-note but he needs to start actually writing his stories in a comprehensible way. By revelaing developments, how they happened, what drove the characters to do them and how exactly they initiated their plans. Because since the beginning of his run he just shows us the beginning of the action and after that how things end, the development act has never bene shown to us yet. However, since you wrote your post on the Superman forum about Bendis' run, I realized something. King's Batman run is very similar to Bendis' Superman one. Great ideas, epic ones even, but very week development of the plots, terrible characrization and very very bad dialogues.

Also, morph can answer that for you, but yeah, that happened as part of Bendis' Mighty Avengers run. It was the opening arc.

@entropy_aegis: It'd be nigh unprecedented to end a run by killing off a character while they remain relevant and profitable. When Priest wraps things up I have little doubt DC will quickly hand over the reins to another writer or restore him as a recurring character in another book. He's too good an asset to sideline, even if it makes sense for him to die.

The only case I can recall where a critically acclaimed run ended with the character dying and a company didn't resurrect him was Dream in Gaiman's Sandman, a unique circumstance in itself.

Bendis' Mighty Avengers featured bizarre thought bubbles and out of character moments for most characters. Doom is not beyond berating anyone but the misogynistic tirade is one of the worst things I've seen from his character.

He also used Madame Masque fairly frequently in his New Avengers and Iron Man runs so that could also be an inspiration for Leviathan's leader.

Here's a look at Dr Doom or whatever he is

First thing I noticed is that the design isn't even consistent from cover to cover, the mouth and eyes are clearly different. The Maleev cover makes him resemble Dr Doom, the Rocafort version reminds me of Red Hood to be honest.

To my next point, some time ago, when Jason had a falling out with Bruce there was a leak that Bendis planned on making Jason Todd evil and lead Leviathan. I pray to God it doesn't happen but if at any time RH:Outlaw gets cancelled or gets rumored to be cancelled in the next few months then we can say with a certain measure of confidence that Jason is about to be Bendis'd. I prefer if it were a new villain altogether, Arkham Knight game already pulled such a silly stunt( atleast Tomasi isn't letting the idea go to waste) so it would be lazy at this point.

The event doesn't look to be terribly long, just 6 issues. Its being referred to as a Superman centric event which I think is fair to say given that its spinning out of Action Comics and will also tie in with that book and launch Jimmy & Lois spin offs. However Bendis did state that this story will be Batman infused back when the TEC 1000 short story of his and Maleev's was released. Plus the cover and solicit is giving Batman lead billing. I expected the Silencer to crossover with it but that book is ending in June and Deathstroke clearly wont get involved seeing as its starting a new arc and is fresh from a crossover. Same goes for TT largely but its episodic in nature so it may join later. So the three best candidates for a tie inn are virtually certain to not join

The other Bat books I see getting involved with City of Bane and not this. So assuming it will be a crossover I'm interested in seeing just what books are going to be part of this. DC doesn't even have Suicide Squad and Green Arrow either so if they're looking to keep it contained to the street level corner then that is going to prove to be virtually impossible.

@morpheus_: Well there was Hitman by Ennis and JPV so I dont think its that rare, granted the creators of the characters in question were involved in those decisions.

But yeah you're right, they've cast Esai Morales as Deathstroke for the second season of Titans as the lead villain, so he's probably not going anywhere.

Its not even that, he could've called her an inferior specimen or something and that would've conveyed the misogyny. Here he sounds like a retard. But maybe thats the point, maybe comic writers think racist and sexist people are uneducated and dumb.

For some reason I'm just not feeling the fact that its a woman(Talia) behind that mask. She already wore that Skeletor costume haha in Morrison's run.