Batman Books You'd Create as an Editor

[WonderScott]

So, you're an editor at DC Comics and given 7-8 titles to develop the Bat mythos.

Which titles to do you launch/relaunch and which characters star in each of the titles? Why are these titles and characters important and what do they do to flesh out the Batuniverse from your POV?

[Kingcrimsonprog]

I'd have another Batman & ..... eternal series.
Batman & batgirl eternal, Batman & red hood eternal, Batman & huntress eternal, Batman & damian eternal, etc.


I'd have one book for all the lesser heroes. Spoiler, huntress, azreal, batwoman, talon, batwing etc. Tie up all the loose threads from all their old stories. Build up a big mythology out of it.

I'd have three simultaneous books. Basically Batman year one era, Batman & dick era and a modern one with current stories, all would be linked and reference or foreshadow eachother.

I'd have gotham central again, but new.

[Assam]

Batman: Primarily Batman's solo.Other BatFamily members sometimes show up depending on the plot.
Detective Comics: One-shot detective stories with a different BatFamily team up each issue.
Cassandra Cain solo : Back as Batgirl or in a new mantle that isn't 'Orphan', it's her book, also starring the real Barbara Gordon, back as Oracle and Stephanie Brown.
The Question: Starring Renee Montoya.
Nightrunner: Where Bilal returns and gets the spotlight an amazing character like him deserves.
Nightwing: Starring Dick and Damian. I wouldn't read it, but it's a consistent seller for DC.
Batman Family: If 'Tec is the place where some of the more minor characters get to shine, this is the book for Bruce and his 5 kids, actually getting the chance to bond, fight with and generally interact with each other.
Birds of Prey: Starring Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Misfit and Onyx. Other female Bats appear sometimes.

[Barbatos666]

Most of the minis/limited series featuring Batman or his world are set to end by May while the remaining will end by July. So far Silencer and Mother Panic v2 are the only new ongoings announced. Nightwing, Tec, Batman and Harley Quinn will obviously continue while the monthlies like BOP, Batwoman, Batgirl and Batman Beyond are likely to enter cancellation numbers. Only Snyder's Last Knight is coming confirmed probably in the fall.

So with that in mind I'd cancel BOP and replace it with Sirens.
Return Tec to being a detective stories focused book. It also goes monthly.
Gotham Knights for the Batfamily.
A relaunch of Batgirl that somehow unites the fanbase.
Monthly Batman & Robin
A villains/ Anti-hero team up book. Talia, Bane etc on the team.

[Godlike13]

Batman, Detective, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, Harley Quinn, BoP (adding Cass and Steph to the roster), Sirens, a Gotham Knights book for the other guys, and a series of Red Hood mini's.

Looking over this im not really creating anything we haven't already seen. Good thing im not an editor.

[masahikotahara]

Bruce Wayne: Bachelor - A Bruce Wayne solo series featuring Gotham's most wanted bachelor in his many adventurous escapades, where he has to manage to juggle his full-time job as crimefighter and his persona as a carefree ladies men. It will have constantly rotating creative teams, and the stories are not necessarily part of the continuity of the other Batman comics.

1857595-batman.jpg

[Elmo]

Red Robin

[Osiris-Rex]

Catwoman and Gotham City Sirens would at least each get a series if I ran things.

[Nick Miller]

Batman - superhero book
Batman and Robin - Bruce and Damian
Tec - crime book
Gotham Nights - Harley, ivy, and Selina.
Calling All Robins - insane Robin fun, including Steph.
Nightwing and Batgirl - Dick and Babs, plus appearances from all the various BoP

Gotham Central, Montoya, Harvey, others, plus new rookie cops.
Batman Inc. - adventures around the world, with Cass as BlackBat, the Morrison crew, Azrael, and others.

8 books is good, I’m a huge fan of consolidating characters.

And I would do these books 18 per year to get a high pace and lots of content.

[protege]

Most of the minis/limited series featuring Batman or his world are set to end by May while the remaining will end by July. So far Silencer and Mother Panic v2 are the only new ongoings announced. Nightwing, Tec, Batman and Harley Quinn will obviously continue while the monthlies like BOP, Batwoman, Batgirl and Batman Beyond are likely to enter cancellation numbers. Only Snyder's Last Knight is coming confirmed probably in the fall.

So with that in mind I'd cancel BOP and replace it with Sirens.
Return Tec to being a detective stories focused book. It also goes monthly.
Gotham Knights for the Batfamily.
A relaunch of Batgirl that somehow unites the fanbase.
Monthly Batman & Robin
A villains/ Anti-hero team up book. Talia, Bane etc on the team.

Where’d you hear this?

[Flash Gordon]

BATMAN - What Tom King is doing currently
DETECTIVE COMICS - Classic Batman stories told by rotating creative teams. Slam Bradley back ups, on occasion (these would not tie into the main story)
NIGHTWING - I guess it's fine as is. I just wish it was back up to the quality it was as GRAYSON.
BATWOMAN - Greg Rucka returns to Gotham. Hopefully toss out a lot of the connections to the Wayne family and get back to basics.
ROBIN, SON OF BATMAN - Patrick Gleason writing Damian
BLACK BAT: AGENT OF THE BATMAN - An international thriller starring Cassandra Cain as the Batman's secret operative at home and abroad. Bruce Wayne would also adopt her as the series goes on and Damian would guest star.
BATGIRL - Babs of Burnside
BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD - Batman team up book by rotating creative teams. Aquaman and Batman stranded in Skartaris. Ray Palmer and Batman at micro biological levels. Lord Death-Man taking the fight to Batman and Black Canary. An Adam Strange adventure to oppose Lady Styx. A Green Arrow/Hawkman fued with Bruce Wayne caught in the middle. You name it, here it is.

[KC]

Batman: Main book about Batman. Robin and Catwoman would also feature in this book.
Detective Comics: Mystery/detective stories. Every issue would have a main Batman story and a back-up that features Red Robin, Batwoman or the Elongated Man.
Nightwing: This book would be about Dick Grayson as Nightwing.
Birds of Prey: This book would be a team book about Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Cassandra Cain and Spoiler.
Red Hood and the Outlaws: This book would be a team book about Jason Todd, Artemis, and Bizzaro.
Batman and Robin: This book would be set in the past and it would focus on Bruce as Batman and Dick as Robin.

[Pohzee]

Batman: Main title for events and whatnot. I'd like Robin to actually be an important part of the mythos for once tho. Not a focus, just a supporting character. Because he hasn't been.

Detective Comics: Legends of the Dark Knight style stories that take place during the Falcone era, roughly between Year One and Long Halloween, with Alfred, Gordon, and Dent as supporting characters. All self contained stories that fill out this underdeveloped era of Gotham's underworld.

Dynamic Duo: Explores the adventures of the original Batman and Robin. Pretty much contemporary stories of the pre-1980's Batverse. Occasionally featuring Ace, Batwoman (Kathy), Bat-Girl, and Batgirl. A more light-hearted take on Gotham.

Nightwing: Ongoing is a given. I'd prefer it be more like Grayson. Maybe call it Agent Nightwing? I am liking this new Blüdhaven more though, so we'll see.

Batgirl: Also obligatory, but she needs to grow up a bit and get a new costume yesterday. Maybe make her an enthusiastic, progressive local politician and activist in the vein of her father and reminiscient of her time in the Senate.

Gotham's Finest/GCPD: Gotham Central-esque series starring Gordon, Bullock, Montoya, and more.

Gotham City Gazette: Quarterly anthology title of short, small stakes stories that take place in Gotham City with the minor characters of the "Batfamily" and other vigilantes. The gimmick is that the recap page is an intro that makes it appear as though each story is an article in the Gotham Gazette.

[Caivu]

BATWOMAN - Greg Rucka returns to Gotham. Hopefully toss out a lot of the connections to the Wayne family and get back to basics.

Booooooooo.

[godisawesome]

Gotham Confidential: An expansion on the free styling fun of Batman Confidential from a few years ago; the only real rule is that every story has to tie into some recognizable person we know from the mythos, though this can stretch from villain POVs during regular adventures to stories FO a team-up between a young Alfred Pennyworth and Detective Slam Bradley the week after the Wayne murders.

Red Hood: He still has the book with the Outlaws, but the idea here is for solo adventures. A kind of hybrid Neo-noir and Neo-western story, wherein Jason goes undercover in a private security firm in San Antonio to investigate allegations that members worked for the cartels. Half way through, he finds he enjoys the job and the professional friendships he forms, and he gets to play with his own legend as the Hood among bodyguards of varying morality, before the inevitable shootouts and fights. In general, I'd want it to twist the regular Githam vigilante book around; Red Hood actually operates more in the day here, and he tries to sometimes use Red Hood's criminal reputation to scare his targets into listening to the bodyguard who thinks the cops sound better than death.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey: Relaunched to focus on a new team set-up, with Batgirl (now fully hybrid with her Oracle ID as well) teaming up with Black Canary to train/raise/befriend Spoiler, Misfit, and Black Bat. Babs has an easier time with Spoiler and Misfit, while Black Canary finds herself very intrigued with and in a sensei-pupil bond with Black Bat. Steph also takes off after her Batgirl portrayal here, still living with her mother, while Misfit and Black Bat are diametrically opposed variations of the enthusiastic but awkward vigilante: Cass is totally comfortable and cool when fighting crime compared to rambunctious and keet-y Misfit, but is still totally in the dark about most normal people stuff in comparison.

Red Robin and the Outsiders: Tim Drake suddenly remembers his life before Flashpoint, and now has to deal with double doses of memories, including the ones where his friends and family died and yet also haven't. He regathers his Young Justice teammates, who also know their history was messed with, and they try to solve this mystery which extends beyond Manhattan and involves Hypertime fluctuations from even before Flashpoint. They drop behind the usual scenes to investigate, though Tim tries to get everyone something resembling their original family lives. The general conflict and appeal of the book is going though adolescence and all the identity crises that comes from that, only compounded by actual identity crises from discordant memories and conflict with not just the Tomorrow Titans, but also guys like Black Zero who've slipped out of Hypertime and onto our world.