DC Reveals Designs For New Batman Villain

DC Comics has released a first look at “Ghost-Maker,” the new Batman villain who is neither truly “new” nor a “villain” in the traditional sense. As has been previously revealed, Ghost-Maker (whose real identity is still unknown) will be a figure from Bruce Wayne’s past, when he was training to be Batman. The rival vigilante returns to Gotham City to usher in a new era of crimefighting, under the premise that Batman has failed in his campaign. To be fair, Ghost-Maker will be catching Batman at a really bad time, as Gotham City will still be reeling from the insane events of “Joker War”!

“There’s a new vigilante in Batman’s town: the mysterious Ghost-Maker. And he’s decided Gotham isn’t big enough for both of them… Here’s your first look at November’s Batman #102 and #103 by @JamesTheFourth, @carlopagulayan, and @DannyMiki_! Covers by @JorgeJimenezArt!” —DC Nation

Ghost-Maker (whose name is arguably regrettable) looks like a slightly ninja-style take on X-Men’s Fantomex. That’s to say: he looks pretty cool – although the artwork above has ominous portents for another new Batman comics killer anti-hero: Clown-Killer. DC is really loving these hyphenated names, lately…

Batman writer James Tynion IV has previously teased how the Ghost-Maker storyline will factor into Batman comics:

“Ghost-Maker is a character who we’ll see a little bit of right at the end of Batman #100 but will come in in a big way in November and beyond,” Tynion explained to SYFY Wire. “This is a character who I’ve been excited about for a really long time. He’s definitely going to show up as an adversary to Bruce, but he is not necessarily a villain per se. He is someone that Bruce has known since he was a young man traveling around the world training to become Batman. And now, basically Bruce’s rival from when he was 15 years old has come back to Gotham City because he doesn’t think Bruce is doing a very good job. That’s the sort of core conceit, is creating this rival from youth that we’re going to see come in in a big way in the present.”

Batman’s Ghost-Maker story arc will unfold in November.