Eisner winning writer Tom King will step down from the main Batman title to work on a new series beginning early next year. King’s final issue on Batman will be issue number 85 due out December of this year.
From Rebirth Until City Of Bane
King has written the main title of the Dark Knight, Batman, ever since the series was rebooted with the company wide launch of the Rebirth line of comics. Now, King will be stepping down to start a new 12-issue mini-series that will focus on the Batman and Catwoman while wrapping King’s epic current run.
“We’re making changes to our comic book publishing line to set DC up for continued success,” said DC’s editor-in-chief Bob Harras. “We’re starting with the bestselling Batman comic after ‘City of Bane’ wraps up in December. ‘City of Bane’ is an incredible story and an integral part of our overall ‘Year of the Villain’ campaign, and a new Tom King and Clay Mann Bat/Cat series in 2020 fills the gap once BATMAN begins to ship monthly.”
Leaving Batman Behind
Unfortunately, this means that King will be leaving the main title of Batman sooner than he had planned. The original plan called for King to wrap up his run shortly after the 100th issue of the series. King had this to say about the end of the run:
“It’s tough to leave Batman. It’s a gift and a joy to be on that book. But I’m leaving it to work on the biggest, most ambitious projects of my career, comics I get to make with the best collaborators in comics. And that’s a gift and a joy too.”
The Dynamic Duo Of DC Creative
As of this writing, there is no announcement regarding who will be on the creative team that will replace King once he leaves.
As for the future, King had this to say about the new title:
“This will be a comic about what the best Batman comics are always been about, how our greatest hero turns fear into bravery, pain into hope, trauma into love. It’s the story I always wanted to tell, and I’m telling it with the man I consider to be the greatest artist in comics, my brother Clay Mann.”
The current run of the other titles in the Bat-Family (Detective, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman) will continue as scheduled. King’s final storyline City Of Bane will begin in July and finish in December with artwork duties going to series regulars Tony Daniel, Mikel Janin, and Clay Mann.
Take a look at the cover for new series below:
