DC Comics’ newest Batman is taking his talents to New York City. Bruce Wayne has called Gotham City home for the majority of his existence. He’s also been the primary Batman in the DC Universe. However, Jace Fox has been making a name for himself as a Dark Knight ever since DC’s two-month Future State initiative. Jace Fox, real name Timothy Fox, is the son of Batman ally Lucious Fox. He teamed up with the Batman Family to stop Scarecrow’s reign of terror in the “Fear State” crossover, and will soon make New York City home in the next story arc of his ongoing Batman series.
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I Am Batman #6 by Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, The Other History of the DC Universe, The American Way) artist Ken Lashley, colorist Rex Lokus, and letterer Troy Peteri releases on February 8, 2022, and relocates Jace Fox and his family from Gotham City to New York City in a storyline titled “Empire State of Mind.” DC Comics urges fans that are curious to learn why the Fox Family moves to the Big Apple are encouraged to check out I Am Batman #5 on sale Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
“I’m incredibly excited about charting this new direction for Jace and the Fox family,” Ridley said. “This new setting is a great opportunity to do some really creative world building and give Jace his own allies, adversaries, and challenges that will continue to shape and define him as his own character under the cape and cowl.”
The advantage of moving Jace Fox away from Gotham City is it takes the new hero away from Batman, so he can forge his own path in the DC Universe away from the Dark Knight’s huge shadow. It’s similar to how Dick Grayson/Nightwing turned Bludhaven into his base of operations, allowing him to grow as a solo hero as he makes new allies and enemies. Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl also made Burnside her home under the guidance of the fan-favorite creative team of Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, and Babs Tarr.
Future State featured Jace Fox patrolling Gotham as the new Batman following Bruce Wayne’s alleged death. Once the two-month publishing initiative concluded, DC and Ridley slowly reintroduced Jace in the present-day through a prequel digital-first series The Next Batman: Second Son. I Am Batman #6 marks the first time an ongoing Batman title will be based in New York City since Issue #47 of Detective Comics in January 1941. Gotham City made its official debut in the DC Universe later that same year, in Batman #4 and Detective Comics #48.
Olivier Coipel and Alex Sinclair provide the main cover for I Am Batman #6, and Francesco Mattina illustrates a variant cover. Fans can also pre-order the book with a special 1:25 ratio variant cover by Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez, as well as a special Black History Month variant cover by Alexis Franklin.
Make sure to let us know your thoughts on Batman calling New York City home down in the comments!
