DC Announces Batman: Dark Age From Mark Russell and Mike Allred

The death of Batman's parents has become something of a running joke in the superhero space, with the origin story being retold countless times in comics and in other mediums. While the finer details in some of those adaptations don't necessarily stand out, a new miniseries from DC is planning to change that. On Thursday, the publisher announced (via Popverse) the first details around Batman: Dark Age, a new miniseries from writer Mark Russell and artist Mike Allred. Spinning out of the concept of Russell and Allred's recent Superman: Space Age miniseries, Dark Age promises to recount Batman's origin amid the backdrop of real-world historical events.

Batman: Dark Age will consist of six issues, with 40 story pages in each installment. Joining Russell and Allred are colorist Laura Allred and letterer David Sharpe. The series' debut issue will launch on March 26, 2024, with covers by Allred, Yanick Paquette, and Frank Quietly.

What Is Batman: Dark Age About?

In Batman: Dark Age, meet Bruce Wayne, Gotham's favorite delinquent son. In an origin story like no other, witness the boy become a dark knight shaped by a city in turmoil as it marches towards its prophesied doom. Set against the backdrop of actual historical events, [in Batman: Dark Age] Gotham comes alive, filled with the iconic characters who've loved and hated Batman over the years like you've never seen them before.

Spinning out of the Eisner-nominated Superman: Space Age, Mark Russell and Mike Allred return to give audiences a look at Batman as a figure in American history fighting for justice in a world gone mad.

What Is the Next Batman Movie About?

The Brave and the Bold is confirmed to star Bruce Wayne / Batman and Damian Wayne / Robin, with DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran teasing that the film might feature other characters from the larger "Bat-family." Plot details and casting updates beyond that are currently unknown at this time. 

"This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman..." Gunn explained to reporters in January of this year. "This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book's run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."

"And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended 'Bat-family', just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long," Safran added.

What do you think of the first details surrounding Batman: Dark Age? Will you be checking out the upcoming miniseries? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Batman: Dark Age #1 will be released wherever comics are sold on March 26, 2024.