January Detective Comics Event: Shadows of the Bat

[TheKryptonMan]

Well, from business point of view, Bruce has to keep main title, for obvious reasons - he's top-seller, Jace is not, first I am Batman issue, judging by Comixology, sold very bad, and it's a bad sign, because normally first issues have good sells. Giving main title to him is madness, with all due respect to Ridley.
But logically, it would be pretty strange to have two Bruce main titles outside of Gotham.

At this point in 2021, I don't think that DC can give the Batman title to Jace , it's their flagship book, it needs to sell around 100,000 each issue. Remember when King was on it, and at one time sales dropped to about 85,000 or so , that's why King's run was shortened to 85 issues as he was supposed to do 100-105 issues.

[InfamousBG]

At this point in 2021, I don't think that DC can give the Batman title to Jace , it's their flagship book, it needs to sell around 100,000 each issue. Remember when King was on it, and at one time sales dropped to about 85,000 or so , that's why King's run was shortened to 85 issues as he was supposed to do 100-105 issues.

Ya I don't see Jace taking the main Bat book.

[GSman]

At this point in 2021, I don't think that DC can give the Batman title to Jace , it's their flagship book, it needs to sell around 100,000 each issue. Remember when King was on it, and at one time sales dropped to about 85,000 or so , that's why King's run was shortened to 85 issues as he was supposed to do 100-105 issues.

I don't even know why Bruce giving up the book is in question, he's the patriarch of the Batline and DC's best seller. Unless he's being killed off or put out of commission, both scenarios would be temporary at best anyway as history has shown, he's definitely going to be focus of the book. We'll likely see what he's going to be up to away from Gotham, maybe he's going global again like Batman INC, or fighting crime on a global scale like Ghost-Maker had suggested. Also Jace's book just started, I doubt if Bruce being written out in favour of Jace was the option that they would have launched his book right in the middle of fear state. So Jace will be in his corner of the universe with his book while Bruce is doing his own thing elsewhere, sort of like the Superman situation with Jon and Clark.

[Frontier]

I guess the question becomes...when hoes he come back to Gotham?

[GSman]

I guess the question becomes...when hoes he come back to Gotham?

Who knows? Could be a few months, could be a year if we're being super drastic and unlikely. I guess it depends on what the next writer has in mind, honestly. Since I assume Bruce leaving Gotham is probably Tynion setting up for their run. I guess we can look at Superman for comparison, It's likely that for the next year he'll be dealing with cosmic stuff while Jon establishes himself as Superman in his book, which may be the same thought process here with Bruce and Jace. A change of status quo for Bruce while Jace establishes himself as the lone Batman of Gotham. It may honestly come down to how fans and sales respond. I mean The X-Men line has had one hell of a status quo change that's lasted the last 2 years and their sales have been even stronger than before, and Batman is a guaranteed seller no matter what, so a globe trotting Batman could last for a little bit before they inevitably return him to Gotham. I could also be talking out of my a$$ completely and he could be back in Gotham by the time the Reeve Batman movie is released for synergy purposes.

[skyvolt2000]

At this point in 2021, I don't think that DC can give the Batman title to Jace , it's their flagship book, it needs to sell around 100,000 each issue.

One little issue to consider......

LOGIC would offer these three choices-

Bruce and his travels are shown in the main Batman title. Jace's book and the Detective show Gotham without Bruce.

We see half the main Batman book show Bruce and Jace-story A & story B.

Jace in the main book and a NEW Batman title starring Bruce on the road.

Remember when King was on it, and at one time sales dropped to about 85,000 or so , that's why King's run was shortened to 85 issues as he was supposed to do 100-105 issues.

Now some blame that drop on the wedding and OTHERS blame Duke Thomas. Of course Duke was gone by 2018-so that drop could NOT have been due to him.

Put Jace in that book and certain folks don't see orders at 100,000 at least through the first arc or the FIRST person screams boycott-we ALL know what is going to happen.

Batman has had 4 other guys roam around Gotham as Batman-nobody threw a fit. Now Jace shows up and there is an issue. A certain R word will come a flying out the wood work.


LOGIC says-leave Bruce in Batman since that is HIS title.

Gotham under Jace should be under I Am Batman to build up a library for him since that has already started with Batman Last Son and Future Slate.


This is DC we are talking about so Jace in the main and Bruce in a new one should be expected. Those youtube grifters are going to have a FIELD day...

[Lal]

One little issue to consider......

LOGIC would offer these three choices-

Bruce and his travels are shown in the main Batman title. Jace's book and the Detective show Gotham without Bruce.

We see half the main Batman book show Bruce and Jace-story A & story B.

Jace in the main book and a NEW Batman title starring Bruce on the road.




Now some blame that drop on the wedding and OTHERS blame Duke Thomas. Of course Duke was gone by 2018-so that drop could NOT have been due to him.

Put Jace in that book and certain folks don't see orders at 100,000 at least through the first arc or the FIRST person screams boycott-we ALL know what is going to happen.

Batman has had 4 other guys roam around Gotham as Batman-nobody threw a fit. Now Jace shows up and there is an issue. A certain R word will come a flying out the wood work.


LOGIC says-leave Bruce in Batman since that is HIS title.

Gotham under Jace should be under I Am Batman to build up a library for him since that has already started with Batman Last Son and Future Slate.


This is DC we are talking about so Jace in the main and Bruce in a new one should be expected. Those youtube grifters are going to have a FIELD day...

I think most people's problem with Jace is that he's so out of the blue and did nothing to earn the Bat mantle except for stumbling on Bruce's gear.
The batfamily is full of great characters who fought crime for years and are capable of carrying the mantle, so there's really no need or much sense in an outside Batman unless you kill or dispose of them all.
If you want a POC to be Batman, Cass and Duke are right there, and even Damian could do it in a year or two.
I'm totally fine with Tim Fox in Gotham, finding himself a cool niche, but him being Batman when the entite Batfamily is still there shouldn't work.

[Frontier]

I think most people's problem with Jace is that he's so out of the blue and did nothing to earn the Bat mantle except for stumbling on Bruce's gear.
The batfamily is full of great characters who fought crime for years and are capable of carrying the mantle, so there's really no need or much sense in an outside Batman unless you kill or dispose of them all.
If you want a POC to be Batman, Cass and Duke are right there, and even Damian could do it in a year or two.
I'm totally fine with Tim Fox in Gotham, finding himself a cool niche, but him being Batman when the entite Batfamily is still there shouldn't work.

I think he better fits a Future State setting where everything's completely gone to @#$% and Bruce has been broken down than he does now.

[Superboy-Prime]

The batfamily is full of great characters who fought crime for years and are capable of carrying the mantle.

Sounds like Dick Grayson's Batman but less interesting. The mantle should be Talia's.

[Morgoth]

I think he better fits a Future State setting where everything's completely gone to @#$% and Bruce has been broken down than he does now.

Obviously because that's his original concept. Jace (or Luke) was supposed to become Batman in completely different circumstances, when Bruce is too old/dead/retired/dissapeared, Damian went rogue and became a villain, the rest of Bat-family is shattered, Dick probably was supposed to still have amnesia, etc. That was supposed to be in 5G, basically Batman Beyond scenario. Despite all of negative opinions about 5G, at least that concept would be more logical.
Current concept works way more complicated, because they try to do two things simultaneously. On the one hand, they are trying to somehow push Jace, although even the marketing of his series does not create such an impression, on the other hand they restored the Bat-Family and put a huge emphasis on it, which basically overshadowed anything with Jace, not to mention that Bruce still here, even if he will be out of Gotham for a while. It would be better, if they used this concept for some sort of Black Label out of continuity book, or, I don't know, made a Future State ongoing, like Batman Beyond. But in current continuity it's not gonna work, especially now, when they're pushing Bat-Family more, than ever, and not just in comics.

[Blue22]

I think most people's problem with Jace is that he's so out of the blue and did nothing to earn the Bat mantle except for stumbling on Bruce's gear.
The batfamily is full of great characters who fought crime for years and are capable of carrying the mantle, so there's really no need or much sense in an outside Batman unless you kill or dispose of them all.
If you want a POC to be Batman, Cass and Duke are right there, and even Damian could do it in a year or two.
I'm totally fine with Tim Fox in Gotham, finding himself a cool niche, but him being Batman when the entite Batfamily is still there shouldn't work.

This. Exactly.

It should have been Cass. Hell, I'd have even accepted Tim Drake or Luke Fox (Lord knows Tim needs something interesting in his life right now). But I'm just not feeling this Jace guy. Nothing about him feels...necessary.

[InfamousBG]

This. Exactly.

It should have been Cass. Hell, I'd have even accepted Tim Drake or Luke Fox (Lord knows Tim needs something interesting in his life right now). But I'm just not feeling this Jace guy. Nothing about him feels...necessary.

Ya know I thought the same thing but I Am Batman #0 was pretty good. Now I am not saying I want Jace to be the next Bat. I do like what ive seen from Jace though so far.

[GSman]

Ya know I thought the same thing but I Am Batman #0 was pretty good. Now I am not saying I want Jace to be the next Bat. I do like what ive seen from Jace though so far.

You know Jace isn't half bad. If you liked I am Batman #0 I recommend checking out the digital comic Next Batman the Second son. It's basically Jace's origin that shows why he is the way he is and why he does what he does and leads into that #0. It's a nice read, Ridley is pretty damn good, which is stating the obvious since the dude won an Oscar. As for Jace, I did have issues with the reasons for his creation and what he represented, which made me hesitant to follow his story. He's an editorial mandate through and through created(or brought back if we're acknowledging history) to be the replacement Batman, not too different from Miles Morales over at Marvel, though the circumstances of how he became a replacement were different. But recently I decided what the hell, and took a dive into his story, and it's not bad at all. Which has opened me up to following the solo. Even if the circumstances around his creation/return are tied to a failed reluanch of the line, I like what Ridley's doing and I think he can craft a good story, so I'll follow with interest. People were willing to give Miles Morales a chance, penned by Bendis, and he's arguably the most successful legacy character of the last 20 years, so I say why not give Ridley a chance, someone who's a more competent writer than Bendis anyway IMO.

[HsssH]

Obviously because that's his original concept. Jace (or Luke) was supposed to become Batman in completely different circumstances, when Bruce is too old/dead/retired/dissapeared, Damian went rogue and became a villain, the rest of Bat-family is shattered, Dick probably was supposed to still have amnesia, etc. That was supposed to be in 5G, basically Batman Beyond scenario. Despite all of negative opinions about 5G, at least that concept would be more logical.

This is very good point and probably main problem with Infinite Frontier era in general. I think it is going to work, more or less, on Superman's side since sales collapsed during Bendis era so DC isn't really losing anything by putting Jon in "main" title. Sure, name is a bit different, but older Superman title got cancelled to make it clear that this is supposed to be main title now. Either way, if it works then great, if it doesn't oh well, sales likely aren't going to drop much lower. But they can't take the same risk with Batman, if Jace Batman book ends up selling 60-70k? Thats not good.

[Superboy-Prime]

This. Exactly.

It should have been Cass. Hell, I'd have even accepted Tim Drake or Luke Fox (Lord knows Tim needs something interesting in his life right now). But I'm just not feeling this Jace guy. Nothing about him feels...necessary.

Cass being Batman is more forced than it being Jace for obvious reasons. You guys are all suggesting DickBats 2.0 when Jace is much more interesting than any of those pitches. Even though Batman is pretty overrated. I'm more of a Flash fan.