DC Comics has announced that the World’s Greatest Detective will be honored with two milestone book releases in March 2019, coinciding with the hero’s 80th anniversary.
Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman – The Deluxe Edition will be an oversized hardcover book, while Detective Comics #1000 will be a collector’s edition of the 1,000th issue of the periodical comic that launched Batman to great success.
Since his debut in Detective Comics #27 in March 1939, Batman has been one of the most popular DC superheroes worldwide, resulting in repeated waves of pop culture “Batmania” for generations of fans. Whether known as the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader or simply Batman, his appeal is global, and he has headlined comic books consistently since 1940, representing thousands of comics titles that have regularly been industry bestsellers no matter the comic book era.
“The enduring popularity of Batman over the past 80 years speaks to the character’s multigenerational appeal,” said DC Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio. “We’re proud to celebrate Batman’s cultural impact with these special releases and look forward to a year of commemorating this milestone anniversary with fans across the globe.”
Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman – The Deluxe Edition will feature a new cover by Jim Lee and several unpublished treasures, including a story about a traumatic early moment in Bruce Wayne’s life by Paul Levitz and acclaimed artist Denys Cowan and an extraordinary look at a work in progress – Bob Kane “ghost” Lew Sayre Schwartz’s original layouts for the Batman tale from Detective Comics #200. In addition, the celebratory book will include essays looking at Batman from extraordinary perspectives including Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Glen David Gold, Denny O’Neil, former San Diego police chief Shelley Zimmerman, and pulp historian Anthony Tollin.
Detective Comics #1000 commemorates the anniversary of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics, the title from which the DC brand itself was born. The 96-page landmark issue will feature an original story written by New York Times bestselling author Peter J. Tomasi (Batman and Robin) with stunning artwork by Doug Mahnke (Batman: The Man Who Laughs). Paying tribute to the Caped Crusader’s 80-year legacy, the book will also include a series of supporting stories by top DC talent, including Geoff Johns, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Dini, Christopher Priest, Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Kelley Jones, Dustin Nguyen, Alex Maleev, and more.
These two special publishing exclusives, available in March 2019, are certain to become collector’s items as part of DC’s yearlong plans to honor 80 years of Batman storytelling. More details on the cross-company festivities and global celebration will be released in the coming months.
