Batman: City of Madness by Christian Ward

[Hypo]

BATMAN: CITY OF MADNESS #1
Written by CHRISTIAN WARD
Art and cover by CHRISTIAN WARD
Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
1:25 variant cover by MARTIN SIMMONDS
1:50 variant cover by CHRISTIAN WARD
$6.99 US | 48 pages | 1 of 3 | Prestige Plus | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″
(all covers are card stock)
ON SALE 10/10/23

Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from

above. For decades, the doorway between the cities has been sealed and heavily guarded by the Court of Owls. But now the door swings wide, and the twisted version of the Dark Knight has escaped…to trap and train a Robin of his own. Batman must form an uneasy alliance with the Court and its deadly allies to stop him—and to hold back the wave of twisted super-villains, nightmarish versions of his own nemeses, each one worse than the last, that’s spilling into his streets!

Visionary writer-artist Christian Ward unleashes his cosmic-horror take on Batman’s world, in a tribute to disturbing Dark Knight classics like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Gothic! You’ll never look at Batman’s villains the same way again…you simply won’t have the stomach for it!

[Vakanai]

I like the premise - a nightmare Cthulhu version of Gotham underneath the surface of normal nightmare Gotham is a nice horror bit that fits I think. I know a lot of Batfans don't like mixing Batman with the paranormal and horror stuff but I love it when done well like Mad Monk/Monster Men or some of the old LotDK stuff.

[clonegeek]

So is this a Black Label book because everything makes it seem to be one but there isn't any clear answer to it.

[Hypo]

So is this a Black Label book because everything makes it seem to be one but there isn't any clear answer to it.

Yes, it is.

[numberthirty]

Most of the time, my gut reaction to someone bringing up Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On A Serious Earth is roughly "Come On. Just...Don't..."

That said, the entire premise here is rather interesting. The Court has a role without it feeling like someone is attempting to shoe horn them into a story without any real place for them.

Anyway...

Very nice surprise, and what could be a seemingly worthwhile use of the imprint.

[Frontier]

I dunno, it looks interesting but it feels like the current 'Tec run is kind of tackling similar stuff.

[Vakanai]

I dunno, it looks interesting but it feels like the current 'Tec run is kind of tackling similar stuff.

Having not been reading the current run, what is it doing? Been pretty good?

[Frontier]

Having not been reading the current run, what is it doing? Been pretty good?

Supernatural Gothic stuff. It's not bad per se but the pacing is extremely slow.

[Vakanai]

Supernatural Gothic stuff. It's not bad per se but the pacing is extremely slow.

I love the subject matter, aka supernatural gothic stuff, but as with everything in this medium storytelling matters and sounds like they're not hitting it out the park in 'Tec. Hope then that this Black Label series does. Looked through the writer's twitter, seems this is his dream project and he's super passionate about it, so that gives me better confidence.

[exile001]

Buried deep beneath Gotham City there exists another Gotham. This Gotham Below is a living nightmare, populated by twisted mirrors of our Gotham’s denizens, fueled by the fear and hatred flowing down from above.

That's literally the premise of Us! Lol.

I'm real tired of the supernatural stuff in Batman the last several years, I really don't think it fits the character, but I'll admit I will read this as I do love me some cosmic horror. Imagine if DC had said yes, but Zatanna.

[Vakanai]

That's literally the premise of Us! Lol.

I'm real tired of the supernatural stuff in Batman the last several years, I really don't think it fits the character, but I'll admit I will read this as I do love me some cosmic horror. Imagine if DC had said yes, but Zatanna.

I'm curious, how does it not fit the character? Some of his earliest stories dealt with the supernatural and paranormal (Wagner didn't invent the Mad Monk villain) and he's frequently fought such horrors ever since.

[Frontier]

That's literally the premise of Us! Lol.

I'm real tired of the supernatural stuff in Batman the last several years, I really don't think it fits the character, but I'll admit I will read this as I do love me some cosmic horror. Imagine if DC had said yes, but Zatanna.

Zatanna deserves more books.

[exile001]

I'm curious, how does it not fit the character? Some of his earliest stories dealt with the supernatural and paranormal (Wagner didn't invent the Mad Monk villain) and he's frequently fought such horrors ever since.

In his earliest stories he killed, in the 40's-60's he often fought aliens and time travelled, but it doesn't necessarily make these major parts of the character as they're not the bulk of his stories.

It's true supernatural elements have crept in from time to time, but they rarely stick. Probably the most recurring thing is the Lazarus Pit, and even that's not specifically magic (or wasn't until recently).

Personally, I see Batman as a (relatively) grounded hero who deals primarily with human enemies, and a few super powered ones, in a dark but (again relatively) believable city.

I've never felt that meshes particularly well with the actual supernatural, which doesn't mean the occasional vampire or Solomon Grundy can't show up for a fun story. Recently it feels like there's been a lot.

DC has characters to deal with the supernatural and it's more interesting for me to see those characters dealing with it, which is not to say there aren't interesting stories done with Batman, but to me it is very rare that they land in a way that wouldn't have suited another character better.

When I see Batman using the Helmet of Fate or having some Bat-Demon infesting ancient Gotham and ultimately creating Batman (even though I LOVE Dark Knight, Dark City) or that crazy nonsense nobody really remembers Doug Moench and Kelly Jones doing in the 90's, I just feel like that's not the Batman I'm interested in. I'm the same with anti-Batman universes and him in any way challenging Darkseid. It's not Batman to me.

Maybe it's better put that I tend to dislike Batman dealing with overtly supernatural stories, whereas something like The Cult (which is beloved but I actually consider a pretty poorly conceived story) is more in keeping as it's predominantly dealing with the human side and the supernatural is kind of vague.

Your mileage may vary, and that's cool.

[Vakanai]

In his earliest stories he killed, in the 40's-60's he often fought aliens and time travelled, but it doesn't necessarily make these major parts of the character as they're not the bulk of his stories.

I mean, he fights aliens regularly still in the Justice League, and wasn't there a whole series arc or mini series or something where he traversed time with pirate Batman and cave Batman and so on during the Morrison years?

I think there's a difference between "doesn't fit the character" and "isn't what the character normally does", and this argument feels more like the latter.

It's true supernatural elements have crept in from time to time, but they rarely stick. Probably the most recurring thing is the Lazarus Pit, and even that's not specifically magic (or wasn't until recently).

It doesn't have to "stick" - the fact it keeps creeping in is enough really. It's not a regular occurrence in his world, but it is an occurrence he deals with. This is just another of those times it creeps in, what's wrong with that?

Personally, I see Batman as a (relatively) grounded hero who deals primarily with human enemies, and a few super powered ones, in a dark but (again relatively) believable city.

Agreed - and I don't think the supernatural really undoes that, more just sockets itself next to the super powered stuff he deals with, just maybe with a different flavor.

I've never felt that meshes particularly well with the actual supernatural, which doesn't mean the occasional vampire or Solomon Grundy can't show up for a fun story. Recently it feels like there's been a lot.

I think Solomon Grundy kind of furthers the point - he is supernatural, and is a Batman foe that keeps reappearing. He might fit more into Gotham's style than say Etrigan, but he's a paranormal force no matter how you slice him.

DC has characters to deal with the supernatural and it's more interesting for me to see those characters dealing with it, which is not to say there aren't interesting stories done with Batman, but to me it is very rare that they land in a way that wouldn't have suited another character better.

I guess we'll have to chalk it up to personal preference then - Wagner's two early years supernatural/horror/monster stories are amongst my favorites, I loved Batman: Gothic from LOTDK, and I still hold The Batman vs Dracula as one of the better animated movies.

When I see Batman using the Helmet of Fate or having some Bat-Demon infesting ancient Gotham and ultimately creating Batman (even though I LOVE Dark Knight, Dark City) or that crazy nonsense nobody really remembers Doug Moench and Kelly Jones doing in the 90's, I just feel like that's not the Batman I'm interested in. I'm the same with anti-Batman universes and him in any way challenging Darkseid. It's not Batman to me.

I guess I'm the opposite - to me it's all Batman and one of the reasons I love the character so - he's so adaptable he can fit in almost any kind of story and it just works for me (at least when told well enough - bad writing is bad writing no matter what he's dealing with).

Maybe it's better put that I tend to dislike Batman dealing with overtly supernatural stories, whereas something like The Cult (which is beloved but I actually consider a pretty poorly conceived story) is more in keeping as it's predominantly dealing with the human side and the supernatural is kind of vague.

Fair enough.

Your mileage may vary, and that's cool.

It does indeed vary, and that is indeed cool. While I might disagree with you, I know understand where you're coming from and how you feel, so thank you!


Me as much as I love Zatanna too, I'm glad this isn't a Zatanna but a Batman story. Horror Monster Mirror Gotham is a cool concept I feel should only be done with Batman, especially with the Court of Owls apparently fitting more organically in it. If you're going to do a story like that in Gotham with those villains and this premise it's really got to be Bruce I think.

[HsssH]

I think that this in a way is destroying wider DC universe. If Batman can be in any story then why bother publishing other characters? They can just cameo in Batman's books.