Jace Fox: Batman Appreciation 2022

[Isaac Lawrence]

Not everyone knows Jace Fox. A lot of people still confuse him with Luke. A lot of people still call him Tim. There's no reason to conclude the character “isn’t selling as Batman” when, for the most part, he was selling well as Batman.

Sure there is, I AM BATMAN #1, going by the available public numbers, came in at 62,000. Curiously, I AM BATMAN #0 sold less (at 49,000) than I AM BATMAN #1, but whatever. Anyway, I AM BATMAN #2 was at about 45,000. And by I AM BATMAN #8 it was the lowest selling Bat-book, and one place above a book that DC had just cancelled.

So it's very easy to conclude that the book isn't selling. And it's a book about a Black guy dressed as Batman. Everybody knew that wasn't going to sell.

Hell, the Black Panther had a billion dollar movie and his book still never sells. So of course a Black guy dressed as Batman isn't selling well.

Yeah, DC tried it, because they do weird stuff like that. But just the same...

And I like Jace as a character, and all of the Fox family, and I'm glad the book exists, but I was never under any illusion that this was going to be a success. When I first read the rumor at Bleeding Cool like everyone else I immediately knew it wasn't going to sell well. Surely you didn't think otherwise, did you?

I'm not sure if they could even get away with Dick dressed as Batman. I suppose they could for awhile, but I imagine fairly soon people would be wondering how much longer are they going to do this...

I'm not really following Miles, but he could at least be the "Robin" of the Spider-Man franchise. Duke has way to much competition for that role.

And I'm not even sure if there is any spot in the Batfamily where Jace would fit in.

Yeah, and of course the thing with Jace is that all of this was conceived when DC was going to do something that I guess you could say is totally different that what they're doing now.

Bruce, Clark and Diana were not going to I guess exist in the DC universe any longer -- and the plan was to have them die of old age or something, or whatever the plan was... Either way, Jace and Jon and Yara were going to replace them. So conceivably Jace would make sense under that scenario. Although, of course, there was very little chance that was going to be successful.

And getting rid of Superman and Wonder Woman I can understand, because their books don't sell anyway. But it's still Superman and Wonder Woman, so you can't really get rid of them. And Batman is the f***ing company, so I never understood the rationale behind getting rid of Bruce. That never made any sense to me. But apparently that was the plan. Until it wasn't, until they came to their senses.

Anyway, to what you were saying, yeah, I totally agree, John Ridley is writing Jace totally separate from the Bat family. I for one love it. And I don't see any need to ever have them interact. They can of course if they wanted them to, but I don't see any need for it.

That's why I think it would be so easy for him to just drop the Batsuit and just continue doing what he's doing without it. And cancel I AM BATMAN after issue #18 or issue #24, and relaunch it as JACE FOX: SECOND SON or something.

It's what I would do.

EDIT:

And yeah, that's it.

[Superboy-Prime]

Anyways, I saw on Twitter that I Am Batman #15 is a Dark Crisis crossover thing. I wonder if Nightwing or the Bat-Family will give Jace their blessing as Batman? Gotta assume he’s going to be a big deal as Batman in the larger DCU, so that’s something they’ll have to address. Especially when ol’ Bruce gets released from his alternate dimension dream thingamajigger.

[Aahz]

That's why I think it would be so easy for him to just drop the Batsuit and just continue doing what he's doing without it. And cancel I AM BATMAN after issue #18 or issue #24, and relaunch it as JACE FOX: SECOND SON or something.

Story wise that wouldn't b a problem, but I don't think it would work out for the saleswise.

[Jaychance]

I'm confused by Dark Crisis because Future State had Jon,Yara, and Jace were headlining the new league is a variation of that future gonna happen since the league members are dead? I wonder if the tie-in has Jace's first run ins with Jon and Yara.

[Superboy-Prime]

I'm confused by Dark Crisis because Future State had Jon,Yara, and Jace were headlining the new league is a variation of that future gonna happen since the league members are dead? I wonder if the tie-in has Jace's first run ins with Jon and Yara.

I think that’s a safe bet. Jacey already meet Jonny in Dark Crisis numero UNO. Him meeting Yara in I Am Batman no. FIFTEEN would add up. They’re gonna be important as Batman, Superman, and (probably) Wonder Woman heading forward! I mean, have you seen the Walmart Hershey’s promotion? I haven’t, but it’s all over social media.

[skyvolt2000]

Story wise that wouldn't b a problem, but I don't think it would work out for the saleswise.

If Ridley is still there... at WORST you could get 18 issues. At best 24.


And that should be enough Jace material for awhile.

[Superboy-Prime]

Jeez… Anybody want to talk about anything other than how the character of this appreciation thread would crash and burn in a lame “unique” identity? Which DC isn’t going to do given by the fact that they’re literally including him in a whole promotional Walmart thing as Batman?

[sifighter]

I hope we get to hear more about his tie-in in tomorrow’s dark crisis panel.

My two main questions are 1. Is Ridley still writing the tie-in? And 2. How it deals with the main event?

Because Flash is about finding Barry Allen, World without a Justice League and Young Justice are about the dream worlds, Jon and Damian are getting one-shots with Deadly Green and Dark Army, and thus it begs the question what Jace’s issue is all about.

[Superboy-Prime]

I hope we get to hear more about his tie-in in tomorrow’s dark crisis panel.

My two main questions are 1. Is Ridley still writing the tie-in? And 2. How it deals with the main event?

The announcement said Ridley was writing it yepperuno’s!!! The question is if the art will be goodie two shoes!

[sifighter]

The announcement said Ridley was writing it yepperuno’s!!! The question is if the art will be goodie two shoes!

Think they’ll keep the ongoing series artist or a special guest appearance?

[Superboy-Prime]

Think they’ll keep the ongoing series artist or a special guest appearance?

Duce can’t do any wrong but I have no clue!

[Twice-named]

I can’t say I’m excited about the tie-in. I’m not reading Dark Crisis. Not interested in it. But, if some of the people checking out #15 because of Dark Crisis keep buying it after that, then great.

I’d be happy with Duce handling the art for #15. I’ve been enjoying his work on IAB.

[Isaac Lawrence]

Story wise that wouldn't b a problem, but I don't think it would work out for the saleswise.

Yeah, story is all I care about, because I know it's not going to sell. There's really nothing that they can do that will make it sell.

And Jace himself is what's interesting to me. Him as Batman is the least interesting to me.

Thankfully John Ridley mostly writes about everything other than Jace as Batman -- which seems like almost an after thought of late... and I say keep it up.

What I guess I want is an I AM JACE FOX book and not really a I AM BATMAN book. And it's almost an I AM JACE FOX book, or an I AM JACE FOX (and family... and other supporting cast) book. It's getting there.

And...

If Ridley is still there... at WORST you could get 18 issues. At best 24.


And that should be enough Jace material for awhile.

Yep, and I'll happily take 18 or 24.

And John Ridley has enough plates spinning in the air right now to get there.

He's got Tiffany to develop. And the "Bat-Helix." And bringing in Lucius and Luke to New York if that's in the plans. And I'm guessing he'll do something with Renee Montoya. And Adriana Chubb.

I can’t say I’m excited about the tie-in. I’m not reading Dark Crisis. Not interested in it. But, if some of the people checking out #15 because of Dark Crisis keep buying it after that, then great.

I’d be happy with Duce handling the art for #15. I’ve been enjoying his work on IAB.

I feel the same way.

I'm interested in what happens after DARK CRISIS, and really only for how Jace fits into all of it. But the event itself I have no interest in either.

And having I AM BATMAN tie in with DARK CRISIS seems rather weird to me, because John Ridley is writing this as a fairly grounded series. So it seems like between issue #14 and #15 they're going to be making a seriously hard left from corrupt political figures in New York City (which I love), into whatever is going on in DARK CRISIS; which doesn't seem grounded in any way, shape or form.

It might be like, "What in the hell just happened here? And did they really need to do this? Couldn't they have just left Jace out of this?"

[Superboy-Prime]

…Anyways, how do you guys think Bruce Wayne will react to Jace being Batman in Dark Crisis?

[Jaychance]

If Dark Detective is anything to go by probably really defensive at first but warm up to him as he sees Jace is trying to be a different type of Batman, one who Bruce himself would think he could never be like.