Batman Becomes Judge Dredd In New Dystopian DC Comic

The world of Gotham City Garage is a harsh one, one that includes a Dark Knight like you've never seen before.

Based on the hit DC Collectibles statue line, Gotham City Garage takes place in a barren landscape, save for the Utopia city created by Lex Luthor. It's also where Batman calls home, but as writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly revealed to ScreenRant, this Batman has more in common with Judge Dredd than the hero you remember.

Lanzing explained how the premise came about, including what prompted this take on Batman.

"The world basically clicked into place when we realized that rather than trying to tell a… it's not an Elseworlds. We found a bifurcation point. So thirty years back within the history of the DCU, something fundamental changed – something we call The Dark Age. And that essentially wiped out the world. Destroyed all the cities and left only one: Gotham. And that's what Luthor built his super city on that he calls The Garden."

The lack of one particular person drastically changed Batman's world, with Lanzing adding "This is a universe where Superman never existed. Where the only iteration of Batman this universe knows is, essentially, a Judge Dredd character in The Garden… working for Luthor."

It's certainly a bold move to an iconic character, and of course, will draw comparisons to Marvel's treatment of Captain America recently. While Lanzing wants fans to know the intention is to honor these heroes and what they stand for ultimately, he does prepare them for bigger shocks that lie ahead.

"Please, bring it on! If you think that's heresy, wait for the rest of the book" said Lanzing. "A big part of the point of this book is that we're trying to take the major assumptions that you make about the DC Universe, and across the board we're trying to say, 'Okay, let's say you take those assumptions away. Where do the heroes come from? Who becomes heroic and why?'

For the creators it's about stripping away assumptions and breaking these heroes down to their core traits, seeing what comes when you attempt to rebuild them in a different way.

"When we meet The Bat he is a force of nature, he is a thing to be feared, a thing to be run from, he is the darkness and the shadow that brings you to justice. And what am I describing? I'm describing Batman, it's just that the laws he's holding up are not the laws that we understand as being 'good' laws. So ultimately, over time, whether or not Bruce Wayne starts to recognize what he's become a part of – that's a great question for us. Is he still a good man in there? Let's see, right? We're not trying to change the core of the character, we're trying to take away the assumptions so we can get to the core of the character."

Batman won't be the only character to get a rework, as his nemesis the Joker is undergoing a transformation into a Harley Quinn superfan, who is much more of an anti-hero in this story. While it is certainly different, it should be immensely entertaining.

Gotham City Garage #1 will be written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Brian Ching. You can find the official description below.

A new series inspired by the DC Collectibles statue line! It's been decades since Governor Lex Luthor turned Gotham City into a modern utopia, saving his people from the devastation that made the rest of the continent a wasteland. But his city isn't paradise for everyone. If the Lexes network misfires, and a citizen wakes up and steps out of line, the Bat and his minions are brutal in restoring the status quo. So when young Kara Gordon, whose ridealong tech has never functioned optimally, rushes headlong into the Freescape, she's shocked to find Gotham City Garage—where new friends might become family, if she lives long enough.

Gotham City Garage #1 hits digital first on August 16, 2017.